Deck of Cards
by MadmanJrs
Summary: A collection of short stories featuring the Joker and the Queen, loosely linked in the same universe.
1. Breaking Bread

Class was finally done for the day as students began leaving, eager to make the most of the rest of their Friday. Makoto quickly gathered her things, placing them neatly inside her bag. Today was finally going to be the day! She had heard from an acquaintance earlier that month that the school canteen had begun to sell a special Yakisoba Bread on Fridays. Makoto wasn't the adventurous type when it came to food but as soon as she heard those words she definitely had to try it. The only problem was the past few Fridays she had been bogged down by a combination of school work and her duties as the School Council President. The semester had barely begun and there were already kids venting their problems to her. While she didn't mind listening and helping them out, some of them were a bit too exaggerated for her liking. A few of them complained about school work being too hard or boring which she didn't really understand. There were some students that complained about their social and love lives which she also couldn't relate to.

What did catch her attention were several students complaining about the recent transfer student from the second year. There were already so many rumours about him after his criminal record came to light. It varied from talks of him sneaking weaponry into his bags to him being part of a gang and even one rumour of him being an abusive boyfriend at his old school. At first Makoto figured she should look into it but as the days went by, the rumours got more and more ridiculous. One that made her honestly raise her eyebrows in disbelief was that the transfer student and Sakamoto were doing cocaine in the boy's bathroom. She knew Sakamoto was a bit of a trouble child that talked too much he didn't seem the type to do that. Another rumour that she found a little amusing was the so called delinquent transfer student being some sort of cat whisperer that could hold proper conversations with felines. Now that was absurd.

The only time she had ever come across the transfer student was when he sat at the same table as her in the library when she was studying. He had asked courteously if the seat beside her was taken to which she merely shook her head that it wasn't. He smiled and sat down before diligently studying. Several students in the library began gossiping, discussing amongst themselves whether or not he was actually a serious student or if it was just an act. Some even expressed annoyance that the delinquent thought so much of himself that he could sit at the Student Council President's table. Makoto scoffed at the notion. It was just a table. Still, the whispers didn't seem to faze the guy who continued to study like there was nothing around him. At least he had some thick skin. Maybe everything people were saying about him was wrong.

Even today it seemed students were jumpy with the rumours, discussing amongst themselves whatever the latest gossip was about the transfer student. Apparently he had gotten into a disagreement with Mr Kamoshida not too long ago and it was causing quite the uproar amongst the student body. Makoto shook her head at the gossiping students and continued to make her way to the canteen. After all, the glorious Yakisoba Bread awaited her! She couldn't wait to try it. Yakisoba in particular was a favourite of her Sister's. She enjoyed it too whenever they'd have it so surely it would taste great in bread form. She soon turned the corner as the canteen came into view. What luck! There was no line! The woman at the counter was always friendly with her, sometimes even giving Makoto a discount though she'd refuse it every single time.

"Oh hello Niijima-san!" the woman greeted "You're out and about quite early for a Friday afternoon, no?"

"Good afternoon and yes! I've finally gotten a free Friday for the first time in in a while." Makoto replied with a smile.

"That's nice. What can I get for you today?"

"Well," Makoto began "I heard from a classmate that there's a new item on the menu but I haven't had the chance to try it yet. So if it's not too much to ask, I'd like to try out this Yakisoba Bread I've heard so much about."

The smile on the woman's face dropped as soon as Makoto had finished speaking.

"Aw I'm awfully sorry Niijima-san," she replied "If I had known you wanted one I would have saved you the last one!"

Makoto sighed in resignation. It seemed the Yakisoba Bread was destined to evade her devouring grasps. She tried her best to hide her disappointment and gave the woman a warm smile.

"That's not a problem. I suppose I'll just have to try next time."

"I'm so sorry!" the woman apologized again with a bow "What rotten luck, I just sold the last one a few moments prior."

Now that was definitely not what Makoto wanted to hear. It was like adding insult to injury, like squeezing a slice of lemon over a cut. Still, she forced herself to smile even though she was quite disheartened. It was just food anyways. Hopefully there would be another time she could taste that delicious, delectable, scrumptious- damn it! Now she really wanted to try that bread.

"It's okay." she mumbled before turning away and heading towards the courtyard.

At least there was no one by the benches near the vending machines. It was fairly quiet with small groups of students scattered around the courtyard. She sat herself down on a bench and hummed sadly to herself. It was only bread but she couldn't help but feel sad. It just seemed lately nothing had really been going her way. Sae had been growing more and more distant by the day, becoming way too engrossed with work. All their conversations were short and mostly consisted mostly of Sae telling Makoto to focus on her education. And because of that, Makoto herself didn't really have many friends. Sure she had people she'd talk to every now and then but they weren't really what some would define an actual friend. But Sae insisted that sometimes people just dragged them down when they should be on the path of success. While Makoto did agree that certain people wouldn't make the best kind of friend she often felt quite lonely. The most she'd interact with people her age was in school when it came to working on group projects, school council meetings, listening to student complaints and issues and such. But that was it. She would never really "hang out" with any of them after school.

She couldn't help but feel jealous as she watched a group of girls in the distance avidly talking amongst themselves, laughing at each other's behaviour. By the gym entrance some members of the school sports teams were discussing strategies while throwing a ball around their group. Makoto sighed. It must be nice to feel something like that even if what they were talking about or doing weren't things she would normally be interested in. Not even Sae was able to spend time with her even just to talk about things they enjoyed. Makoto groaned a little. Man, she probably wouldn't be thinking about things like this if it wasn't for that stupid bread. If only she could have had it! If only she could have tasted it! Then she wouldn't be thinking about things like this. A soft dry chuckle left her lips as she realized she was blaming her problems on not being able to eat something. Deciding she could probably use a change of scenery. As she stood up she was instantly knocked over back into the bench before falling onto the ground.

"Ow…" her and another voice said at the same time.

Makoto blinked a few times before rubbing her eyes as she tried to wipe away her somewhat blurry vision. Crumpled in front of her was a boy, his glasses sitting slanted on the bridge of his nose with a mess of black hair slightly covering his eyes. He gingerly rubbed his backside, a few strained groans coming out of his mouth before attempting to fix the position of his glasses.

"Ugh that hurt…" he spoke, his voice deep and yet not at all intimidating.

Makoto blinked again before finally noticing who was seated in front of her. It was the transfer student and from what she could see, he was in a little bit of pain. She stood up, dusting herself off a little before noticing something at her feet. Sitting there almost mockingly was the Yakisoba Bread, still in its plastic packaging. It almost seemed like it was insulting her and yet that was probably a ridiculous thought for something inanimate.

"I'm so sorry!" she finally managed to say as she bowed apologetically.

The boy finally stood up, checking himself to see if he had dropped anything. Makoto bent down and picked the packaged bread from her feet and handed it to him. Of course the apparent delinquent that people were complaining to her about would be the one that had purchased the last bread. If there were gods out there, they were definitely mocking her. He took it from her grasps and smiled softly.

"It's okay, it was my fault anyways," he said "I wasn't looking where I was going."

Makoto couldn't help but smile back a little and shook her head.

"No, I should be the one apologizing." she replied "It was my fault."

He smiled again.

"Well I guess apology accepted then."

He was about to leave when he noticed her gaze lingering on the bread in his hand. Almost subconsciously she licked her lips, as if giving him a signal that she wanted it before shaking herself out of her trance.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry!" she stammered "I should go."

"Um, you're Niijima-senpai, right?" he suddenly asked.

She nodded.

"Yes, you're the new transfer student in the second year, correct?"

"That's right. I'm Ren Amamiya." he said as he bowed a little "It's nice to meet you, Senpai."

She nodded before deciding to make her way out and get out of his hair when he suddenly perked up.

"Actually, I couldn't help but notice you looking at this Yakisoba bread." he said.

She couldn't help but blush a little at being caught staring at it. Damn that stupid bread!

"Oh yes sorry, I was actually at the canteen to buy one but they told me they were sold out for the day."

His smile dropped a little and she couldn't help but notice that he appeared to feel bad about it.

"I didn't know this was the last one, sorry." he said.

Makoto shook her head.

"It's okay, you were there first anyways. I'll get it next time."

"Actually…" Ren began "I honestly was only curious after hearing about it but I'm not actually huge on bread so…"

He held it out to her. He was actually giving it to her.

"Oh I couldn't! You paid for it and well, it wouldn't be right of me to just take it from you!" Makoto said, all rather quickly.

"I suppose you're right." Ren replied "Well, how about we share it then? It's actually conveniently cut in half."

He began opening the bag before taking out one half and handing her the other half, still wrapped in the plastic. Makoto got nervous all of a sudden. She couldn't really tell why.

"I um… well… are you sure, Amamiya-kun?"

He smiled again and nodded. It seemed he had smiled so much in the past few minutes and yet each time he did, Makoto couldn't help but feel like he was smiling at her for the first time. She smiled back and took it in her hands. She eyed it carefully as Ren took a bite from his half.

"Huh, not bad." he commented "Actually scratch that, it's pretty good."

"Really?" Makoto asked.

She carefully removed the bread from the plastic wrap and took a bite herself. The flavours began to spread through her mouth as the richness of the sauce danced on her tastebuds. The noodles were soft but not to the point that it felt mushy and still had some bite to it which oddly seemed to compliment the squishy bread on the outside. There were several vegetables inside as well that added a mild crunchy freshness to combat the saltiness of the sauce that was honestly quite lovely.

"Mmm…" Makoto couldn't help but let out.

"Told you!" Ren laughed.

Makoto's cheeks flushed a little at her little outburst. Ren had quickly wolfed down his half and she felt like she had to catch up but something this good had to be savoured. The flavour of it had to be stretched out so she could enjoy it as much as she could. With every bite she took she couldn't help but fall in love with the taste.

"Well you're enjoying that." Ren pointed out with a light chuckle.

"It's very good." Makoto replied, almost in a soft whisper.

She felt a little embarrassed but he was being a good sport about it and wasn't overly teasing her. She couldn't help but wonder if all the rumours about the transfer student were true. Makoto knew that a lot of them were overly exaggerated and probably a load of rubbish but his criminal record and past expulsion at his prior school had been leaked when he arrived and the school was rife with the rumours surrounding him. But here he was, seemingly in good spirits, laughing a little with (well more like at) her and even offered her some of his food that he himself paid for. Was he really a trouble maker? Makoto's gut was telling her otherwise. Then again, he did just give her something that was extremely delicious. Her gut was probably just in taste heaven. Her eyes were now lingering on him as he had walked over to the nearby vending machine to grab himself something to wash the bread down. At least there wasn't a cat with him like various students had claimed. As he turned back to her he smiled again before beginning to walk off.

"I guess I'll see you later, Niijima-senpai."

"Oh, wait!" Makoto suddenly called out.

He turned around, his hair almost bouncing on the top of his head as he did. She couldn't help but think that it was cute.

"Err…" Makoto began as she began digging in her bag.

She didn't know why she told him to wait but she had to do something now. After a few moments of fiddling inside the Boston bag she pulled out a small Tupperware container.

"Since you shared something with me, I'd like to return the favour." she said before handing the plastic-ware to him.

"You didn't have to, Senpai!" he said nervously before opening it.

Inside were four perfectly shaped donuts with a light dusting of powdered sugar resting on the top of each one. He could see from the sides that there was some sort of red filling, probably strawberry or raspberry jam. Ren subconsciously began to lick his lips at it. He absolutely adored jam filled donuts.

"Niijima-senpai, have you been stalking me?" he suddenly asked.

She was taken aback. What kind of person would ask such a thing? She almost wanted to hit him for even insinuating that.

"Uh n-no?" she stammered "Why would you say that?"

He smirked a little. It made her heart beat a little bit faster for reasons unknown to her.

"Well you should be glad to know that jam filled donuts are my favourite. Well I like a lot of foods like burgers and ramen and…" he cut himself off "Well that's beside the point but jam filled donuts?! Absolute favourite."

Makoto couldn't help but blush a little at his statement. Her right foot began to dig into the pavement as she fiddled with the plastic wrapping in her hands.

"Oh um, I hope my baking skills are satisfactory then…" she said softly.

Ren's eyes widened a little.

"You made these, Senpai?!" he asked in astonishment.

"Yes," she affirmed "It's no Yakisoba bread but, I guess if you like jam filled donuts as much as you claim then they should satisfy your sweet tooth."

He grinned at her.

"Well you just quickly became my favourite Senpai! Thanks a lot!"

She couldn't help but blush again at his statement.

"You're heh… such a Joker?" she mumbled.

He grinned again before several beeps in his pocket were heard. He pulled his phone out and checked it.

"Ah, sorry Niijima-senpai but I'll have to be going now. Ryuji was waiting for me and now he's bugging me about taking forever."

"Sakamoto-kun? Well I suppose you shouldn't keep him waiting." Makoto responded "Feel free to share some of those donuts with him."

Ren frowned.

"No way, I'm not sharing these!" he joked, almost protectively shielding them within his arms "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Ren quickly then took off, walking at a faster pace than most people did.

"Right… see you tomorrow…"

Makoto stood there again, alone. She couldn't help but notice several students around the courtyard looking her way. A few of them seemed to be whispering amongst each other with one or two even throwing disapproving glances at her. Makoto picked up the rest of her things and began to make her way out of the courtyard when her ears picked up on some of the gossip.

 _"Did you see what happened? Niijima-senpai and that transfer student were sharing food!"_

 _"Is something going on between them?"_

 _"I don't like it, that delinquent probably blackmailed her or something!"_

 _"How do you even blackmail people over food?"_

 _"Pfft if something's going on between them then Miss Prez has poor taste in guys."_

 _"I just hope she's careful around him. That criminal is dangerous!"_

Makoto shook her head in annoyance and disbelief as she passed through the doorway. She didn't know if he really was a delinquent. She didn't know if he really was a criminal or whatever reasons there were for him to transfer to Shujin away from his home and previous life were true. He was nice to her even when she had been the one to bump into him and even shared the last Yakisoba Bread with her. She gripped the plastic in her hand a little tighter. There was a little bit left, maybe enough for two or three bites and yet part of her couldn't bear to finish it. It seemed precious now even though it was just bread as silly as the thought was. Even though several minutes ago she was cursing its existence but after tasting it, after sharing it with Ren it held a somewhat fond memory, as cheesy as that sounded. She smiled at the thought. Maybe he wasn't so bad. Maybe he was actually a great guy that was just misunderstood.

Who knows.

Maybe one day she could call him a friend.

* * *

Ren finally made it to the rooftop where Ryuji and Morgana waited for him. He had only meant to go down to grab a drink to go with the Yakisoba bread and clearly they were going mad with boredom waiting for him.

"There you are!" Ryuji exclaimed in his usual loud voice "What took you so long?"

"The vending machine near us was out of order so I had to go down to the one by the courtyard." Ren replied.

"Huh, fair enough." Ryuji shrugged.

Morgana popped up onto the table and eyed the container in Ren's hands as the frizzy haired boy sat down.

"What's in there?" the Cat asked.

"Err… donuts." Ren answered.

"Donuts? Where did you get donuts?"

"Yeah, I don't think the canteen sells donuts…" Ryuji wondered.

"I got it…" Ren began to say before thinking.

No way these two would leave him be if he said Makoto Niijima of all people gave them to him. And they'd definitely ask a multitude of questions about it too.

"I got it from a friend." he simply stated.

"I didn't know you had friends." Ryuji said before getting a smack on the back of his head.

"That's not nice!" Morgana hissed.

"Ah well, my bad." the blonde shrugged "Now, where's that Yakisoba bread? I'm itching for a taste."

Ren's sweat dropped.

"Uh… shit."

* * *

These stories will be whatever that comes to mind whenever I get an idea that's tangible enough to be written. They won't necessarily be linked together as one cohesive story and won't always be following a specific time line. This is more to get me practicing writing whilst going on my current Persona high after finishing Persona 5. Damn that post-game depression! There won't be a proper update schedule where I aim for a chapter every 1 or 2 weeks but will be sporadic instead.

This first story wasn't meant to be as deep as it was, I suppose in regards to the loneliness Makoto could feel but as I was writing it just seemed to roll off my fingertips. I meant this story to be a bit more light hearted which it is when Ren appears but what I had in mind was a more flustered sort of cute romance deal. I suppose it's alright for a start.

Do leave reviews letting me know what you think!


	2. Ideal

Toss.

Turn.

Repeat.

Makoto turned once more, now facing her roommate for the Hawaii trip. Fast asleep. And snoring quite loudly. She wasn't all that sure why they decided to room her with Miss Kawakami but Makoto didn't mind that much when they first told her. Kawakami had always been respectful and courteous to her albeit not seeming completely interested. The past year it seemed she was constantly tired and tonight was one of the few nights she was actually getting proper rest. Makoto couldn't bring herself to disturb the teacher's sleep just to get her to stop snoring. She checked her phone. Only 9:48pm. The proper curfew time they had set was at 10 which she honestly didn't think students would adhere to nor would the teachers feel obligated to enforce. There were only two teachers attending the trip. One of them seemed more interested in getting a tan and drinking at the hotel bar while the other was completely knocked out in the bed beside her. Another minute passed by as the sounds of Kawakami's breathing vibrated around the room even muttering something in her sleep. Some nonsense about a "Becky".

Makoto sat up and stared out through the balcony window. The scenery outside seemed to be so peaceful and quiet. She honestly could have a better attempt at sleeping outside than in her. Not that she was blaming Kawakami's snoring completely. This whole trip Makoto's mind had been scattered. Between the going ons at the school to her activities with the Phantom Thieves, there was a lot Makoto had to think about. But the constant thought her mind was on Ren Amamiya. Joker. The Leader of the Phantom Thieves. The ostracized so called delinquent of Shujin's second year despite the fact every rumour about him was false. He was brave and kind, willing to listen to anyone who needed someone to talk to. He was intelligent and resourceful and she often watched in awe whenever he'd show off his mental prowess in the Metaverse.

She sighed. Damn it. She had always found him a little attractive and when Principal Kobayakawa had asked (well blackmailed) her into investigating them she had found three possible leads to follow in Ren Amamiya, Ryuji Sakamoto and Ann Takamaki. The latter two were probably easier to follow, as Makoto had some idea at least of what their interests and hobbies were. But as soon as she received her task, she resolved to follow Ren. There was just something about him that piqued her interest. Some mysterious quality that drew her to him. It wasn't til Kaneshiro happened and she joined the Phantom Thieves that she got to know him more. And more and more. And not long after she had realized something. Her little interest had transformed into a full blown crush. The blushing constantly school girl kind of crush. The kind she had no experience with, where she had no idea what to do.

After the incident at Sojiro's house she found herself constantly trying to be in contact with him in some way. There was just something about his touch that comforted her. More often she realized she had subconsciously started sitting beside him in their meetings or whenever the gang decided to hang out. Makoto had developed a habit of looking up at him whenever he was discussing strategies. How he'd transform from the laid back, almost reserved Ren to the confident and daring Joker. How dreamy he was when he was being passionate about something. How she adored those sides of him. Her mind wandered to the other day before they had left Japan. Ann had suggested they take a group photo as naturally, Makoto was unsure about how to go about things. Before she knew it she was right beside Ren as he held up his phone to take the picture. Unsure where to look, she asked before she was unknowingly bumped by Ryuji who had been trying to get in better view of the camera. When the photo was taken Makoto found that she had been moved much closer to Ren. There was just something that felt right about standing there by his side. Even though their two blonde friends were there too and Makoto liked them very much there was just something ideal about being next to Ren.

"Damn it…" she swore.

She couldn't help it anymore. She was in love. She groaned once more as Kawakami snored away. Deciding she wasn't going to be able to sleep just yet, Makoto grabbed her phone and the master key. Maybe a walk could clear her head and get her tired enough. Maybe she could hang out in Ann's room for a bit. Knowing the blonde girl, she wouldn't be sleeping just yet. A few minutes later Makoto reached Ann's room. She knew Ann to be rooming with a girl in class 2-D named Tsubaki Sato, a rather plain girl who seemed to be constantly joined at the hip of her boyfriend, Shinichi Nishimura. Makoto couldn't help but think if she would be clingy like that with Ren.

 _'Get a hold of yourself, Niijima!'_ she internally grumbled.

She was really cursing this whole attraction business. It was starting to drive her up the wall. Hopefully hanging out with Ann could get her mind off things. She knocked three times as she usually did. There was no answer. Makoto knocked once more and again was met with no response. Surely they hadn't gone to bed yet. She knocked again, this time calling out to try and get their attention.

"Ann? Sato-san? Are you in there?"

Still no answer. Makoto knew she was probably overthinking this but she couldn't help but worry. They were probably just sleeping. Still, it couldn't hurt to check. With a swipe of the card in her hand she unlocked the door and opened it carefully. Her crimson eyes peered in to find the room completely empty. There was no sign of Ann or her roommate, Tsubaki. Were they out and about? The lights however were left on. Makoto stepped into the room and noticed something lying on the floor at her feet. It was the keycard for this room. She eyed it curiously. If Ann or Tsubaki left the room, wouldn't they bring it with them? That was the logical thing to do. Makoto picked it up off the ground and placed it onto a nearby table. She pondered for a moment. If Tsubaki had left her room at night then she was more than likely sneaking off somewhere with her boyfriend. Probably his room. She pitied whoever was rooming with him. The poor soul was probably playing third wheel now.

Deciding to leave the room, Makoto turned off the light and closed the door. Perhaps Ann was walking around and required her assistance. Yes, that sounded plausible! Makoto began to trudge her way through the hallways before unknowingly stopping at a certain room. She turned to the see the room number. Room 112. If memory recalled this was the room Ren was sharing with that Mishima kid that seemed to be somewhat frightened of her. Makoto didn't know why but she couldn't stop herself from standing closer to the door. She could hear people talking inside.

"FORREAL?" a voice was heard inside.

Makoto facepalmed. Of course Ryuji was in there with them. What caught Makoto off guard was the sound of a female laughing. One that sounded a lot like Ann Takamaki. Why was she in there? It seemed they were having quite an avid conversation. Makoto began thinking if she should reprimand Ann for being in the boy's room or if she should join them out of boredom. It took her a few moments before coming to a decision. It seemed she chose an option she didn't consider before. She knew she shouldn't but Makoto couldn't help but press her ear a little against the door.

"…things like what kind of people we like." that was the voice of Ann "So, time to come clean, Ryuji."

"Me?" Ryuji asked "Uh well… she's gotta have a good personality. I'm okay with anyone who's modest and nice."

Ann scoffed.

"What about if two girls with equally good personalities confessed to you at the same time?" she asked.

"If they're equally nice? Then it'd have to be the one with the hotter bod."

Another facepalm. Makoto could sense Ann's disappointment from the other side of the door.

"So looks are what's most important to you."

"WHAT?!" Ryuji's voice yelled, squeaking a little.

"Your first answer was just superficial." Ann explained "The second answer was your true beliefs."

Makoto could hear the blonde girl exhale loudly, sighing in disappointment.

"Huh, so you really are that kind of guy…"

"That ain't fair!" Ryuji complained.

Makoto supressed a little giggle. It seems that Ann had caught Ryuji in a little bit of a prank though she could sense there was something else there. She wondered though. What would Ren…

"What about you, Ren?" Ann asked "Come on! Spill the beans. What kind of girl is your type?"

Makoto's heart thumped a little as Ann asked the question she herself was about to wonder. Would she be remotely close to what Ren wanted from a girl? Granted she was always told that she was pretty with both herself and her sister Sae inheriting their mother's natural beauty. But she was stoic and quiet compared to other girls. She had seen couples around before and most of the times the girlfriends were all bubbly and energetic, kind of like Ann. The complete opposite of Makoto Niijima. Surely Ren would prefer that kind of girl. What if Ren liked Ann?! Makoto's stomach dropped at the thought and she panicked a little.

"Well…" she heard Ren's voice begin.

Makoto took a deep breath and pressed her ear back against the door. She tried to compose herself. Here was where Ren described everything that wasn't her.

"I guess first off, I'd like someone that's smart. Someone who could understand me intellectually."

"Oh?" Ryuji queried.

"Well that counts you out, Ryuji." Ann quipped.

"SCREW YOU!" the blonde boy yelled.

"Hey hey, don't be too loud." Ren said.

"S-sorry." Ryuji apologized "Well? Go on."

"I suppose I'd like them to be in touch with themselves…"

"You'd like them to touch themselves?" Ryuji asked before a slap was heard.

"Ren's not like you, bonehead!" Ann shouted.

"You didn't have to hit me!" Ryuji yelled back before turning to Ren "What did you mean, though?"

Ren pondered for a moment.

"Well I guess I'd like them to have a mix of femininity while enjoying other things that girls typically wouldn't. To be okay with liking things most girls don't. Like someone that's a bit of a tomboy…" he explained.

"That doesn't even sound possible. Are there even girls like that out there?" Ryuji asked.

"I'm sure there are." Ann commented "Do go on, Ren."

It seemed like there was something that piqued Ann's interest. Their dark haired friend continued.

"I want someone I can rely on. Someone with a strong will who can go beyond what's asked of them. Even if it's something that'd put them in danger. Someone who I can share my feelings with and understands me."

He smiled a little as he thought of a certain someone. The two blondes looked at in as he continued to speak. Makoto stood by the door, eagerly listening to Ren.

"But I want her to rely on me too. Whenever she has any worries about the world. When she feels bogged down with school or work. Whenever she feels scared or lonely, I want to hold her hand and let her know that everything's going to be okay."

Makoto smiled at the thought. Ren could be so selfless at times. She remembered the times when he'd go out of his way to listen to her. When she was scared of the darkness at Sojiro's house he let her hold onto him. When she wanted to go to Shinjuku to check out the rumours of students working there he accompanied her without any hesitation. He really was someone she could rely on.

"Woah that sounds deep, bro." Ryuji commented.

"And really romantic! Ah I wish I could have someone like that too!" Ann beamed.

Ren chuckled a little.

"Yeah. Someone like that's amazing."

"What about looks? Do you have any preference?" Ryuji asked.

"Preference? Since when do you use words like that." Ren joked.

"Hey I know stuff too!" the blonde yelled.

Ann laughed.

"Yeah I'm curious too!"

"Uh what do you want to know?" Ren asked, playing with his frizzy hair in embarrassment.

They were so going to find out who he liked. Makoto leant into the door more. She could feel her heart beat so fast. Like it were to leap out of her chest.

"Let's start off easy. Light or dark hair?" Ann asked.

"Dark hair." Ren answered, almost instantly "No offence, Ann."

"None taken."

"Oh oh, I have a question!" Ryuji said, bouncing in excitement "Tits or ass?"

Ren, Ann and even Makoto almost fell over in disbelief. Of course Ryuji would ask something like that.

"That's err… not something I'm really comfortable answering." Ren laughed awkwardly.

"Pfft whatever, you're totally an ass man." Ryuji said in jest.

"And what makes you think that?"

A lecherous grin graced Ryuji's face.

"Oh no reason. I may have caught you staring at a certain somewhere once or twice."

"Ryuji!" Ren yelled, jumping out of his position on the couch.

"Ren!" Ann shrieked "Don't tell me you've been looking at my butt this whole time!"

"No not you!" Ren shouted back before realizing what he said.

The pigtailed blonde joined Ryuji in the smirk department. Bingo. The two founding (non-feline wishing he was non-feline) Phantom Thieves had just caught Joker. Makoto blushed at the thought. Was she the one that…

"So you were looking at-" Ann began before Ren cut her off.

"Don't finish that sentence, please!"

"Fine fine, we're just playing with you!" Ann said, laughing Ren's moment of weakness off.

The bespectacled boy sighed before laying back down.

"Well?" Ann asked "What do you like? Appearance wise that is."

Ren stared up into the sky. Truth be told he could only picture one girl in his mind right now. A slight smile appeared on his face as he thought about her. Noticing their friend was off in lalaland thinking about that girl they eyed each other before the male in the blonde duo decided to ask something.

"Do you prefer cute or hot girls?"

"Hm?" Ren pondered "I don't know about being one style but… if I had to describe her in one word…"

"Her?" Ann asked, almost knowing that Ren had someone in mind.

"Elegant." Ren continued.

"Elegant?" Ryuji asked.

"Yeah, elegant. Beautiful with a powerful aura." Ren began to explain "But delicate as well. Someone with a soft touch."

"Oh I don't know if soft is what I'd describe that…" Ryuji mumbled thinking back to the time Queen had been afflicted by Marin Karin and punched the living daylights out of him.

"Elegant, huh?" Ann wondered "You mean kind of like royalty?"

"Yeah!" Ren said almost a little too enthusiastically "Like a Qu…"

His eyes widened as he looked to his side. Both Ryuji and Ann were smiling at him, looking at the dark haired boy expectantly. Makoto almost fainted against the door. Her eyes were wide open as was her mouth. Was he about to say Queen? Did Ren like her that way? Her hands began to shake. The things he was saying about his ideal girl. Maybe her ears were playing tricks on her but it almost sounded like he was describing her. Was this true? Ren's ideal girl was… Makoto Niijima? A part of her wanted to open the door right there and then and tell him that she felt that way about him too. But what if she was wrong? What if she was only hearing what she wanted to hear? What if he didn't feel that way about her?

She stepped away from the door. No, she shouldn't imagine the worst. She had to truly believe that he was in love with her like she was with him. Makoto stumbled. Love. She really… was in love with him. His words began to play in her mind. Everything he said. Was it really about her? If it was, he described her as strong. Makoto chuckled a little to herself. Was she really strong? A few months ago she was such a pushover, someone who just did as she was told without arguing. If it wasn't for the Phantom Thieves, if it wasn't for Ren Amamiya she would still be the same. She was glad to have him by her side. She smiled. The thought of him staying by her side was a comforting one. If it were up to her, he would be there forever. Maybe that was enough, just to be by his side. Makoto smiled again as she began to make her way back to her room. Perhaps tomorrow she would ask him to spend some time with her. Just the two of them side by side, basking in the warm Hawaiian sun. They needn't talk or have to do anything in particular. Being with him would be enough. Everything about it felt right to her.

It was all ideal.

* * *

Ren stared up into the darkness of the ceiling. They had spent the past half hour making sure Mishima was okay after the poor guy almost destroyed both the toilet and himself. At least now he was getting some sleep and wasn't glued to the porcelain basin. Ren chuckled. Even through all the hurling he could have sworn he heard Mishima mutter something about the Phan-site. He turned to his side. On the bed he was supposed to be sleeping on was Ann, lightly snoring. Beside him Ryuji was sprawled out on the floor, his head not even resting on the pillow. Ren turned once more and stared up at the ceiling.

Their conversation about ideal types was still fresh in his mind. Everything about Makoto was ideal to him. The way her short brown hair rested against the pale tones of her skin. The way the light would shimmer in her red eyes whenever she focused on something, as if they were shining rubies. He especially liked the way her hands felt. Not that he was bold enough to hold them but whenever they'd come in contact by accident he would relish the feeling. And she would get so flustered about it too, something he adored about her. She could be so cute at times. He sighed in admiration. With a flip of a switch (or the donning of a Persona mask) she would instantly transform into the opposite of the prim, proper and somewhat cutesy Makoto into something much more terrifying… and if Ren was honest with himself, a little bit sexy.

Queen.

He often watched in awe whenever she fought with them in the Metaverse, using her aikido skills and Johanna to tear through Shadows. And it wasn't just her physical prowess. She was incredibly intelligent and a great strategist, often assisting Joker in giving out secondary orders to supplement his own. They worked perfectly together, that is whenever their plans actually did work. But even if some of their more outlandish strategies didn't pan out, the Phantom Thieves couldn't deny. Joker and Queen were the ultimate duo. They were powerful, intelligent, strong willed people and even if they sometimes acted a bit rash at times, they believed in their justice. The pair that perfectly complimented each other. And unbeknownst to either one, were completely in love with each other.

Ren exhaled and closed his eyes. Even in his sleep he would think of her. Every part of her. Every moment he had spent with her. Every moment he would spend with her in the future. Sure, he might be getting ahead of himself but every thought he had about her, about them.

It was all ideal.


	3. Cardinal: Lust - Awkward Train Situation

**WARNING: Somewhat lewd but not explicit. Don't read if that isn't your thing!**

* * *

Ren stifled a yawn as he waited for his train to arrive. He had accidentally overslept a little and unfortunately missed his normal train. The next train would still allow him to arrive at school on time but there was one problem. It was the most packed train in the mornings. There was no way he would be able to get a decent standing space let alone an actual seat. Not to mention it was starting to get warmer and warmer by the day which meant sweaty people brushing up against him. Though cooped up in a bag, Morgana at least wouldn't have to feel others invading his personal space. Another yawn hit Ren before he sighed in defeat. He began to mentally prepare himself for the next 10 or so minutes where he'd spend as a canned sardine. While there weren't as many issues with public transportation anymore from the mental shutdown incidents, it occasionally still affected trains with minor delays which he hoped wouldn't be the case today. Ren was brought out of his impromptu meditation by a soft feminine voice. One that he had become somewhat familiar with the past two weeks.

"Good morning." it said.

Ren turned to find the ruby eyes of Makoto Niijima staring up at him.

"Good morning." he mumbled, just loud enough for her to hear.

"It seems you've been lying low as of late." she stated as she put her hand up to her chin, tapping it lightly as her eyes studied the young man.

"What do you mean?" Ren asked, trying his best to seem inconspicuous.

"Hm, nothing really. Though I am wondering why you're catching this train and not an earlier one. Haven't you been quite the model student these past few weeks?" she asked.

Ren raised an eyebrow at her. She was trying to bait him into saying something.

'Well, two can play at this game.'

"I slept in." he answered "Though, it begs to wonder why the Student Council President wouldn't be catching an earlier train."

She gave him a wry smile.

"Oh what a coincidence that I was running late too." she replied.

Ren didn't buy that at all. She was so waiting for him. After all, the past few weeks he had noticed her following him. If she wasn't so invested in revealing his connection to the Phantom Thieves he would have found the situation to be cute. Cute because she was terrible at stealth work. Granted, Ren did have a second pair of eyes in Morgana around him at almost all times but still. Hiding in plain sight doesn't really work when you have a giant manga open as you walk around, peering over it periodically to look at your quarry. Truth be told, a part of Ren looked forward to spotting her in the crowds as he went about his business. He took pride in the times he'd find her hiding without Morgana's aid. Not that it was very hard but still. The times that he would catch her in the act of spying on him was great too. She'd turn away so quickly in the most obvious ways. It was honestly so adorable.

If Ren was honest with himself, Makoto was the kind of girl he'd actually go for. Putting the terrible sleuthing and student council business aside, she seemed like a great albeit sheltered girl. He had heard from eavesdropping on conversations that others found her to be unapproachable and almost robotic but whenever he'd see her eyes he'd see a look he sometimes found whenever he stared into the mirror. A desire to prove oneself. Not to mention she was incredibly smart and very attractive to boot. She was quite slender yet shapely with soft curves hidden underneath her uniform. Her hips were fairly wide for a Japanese woman but Ren liked that. Her skin was pale and almost milky. It looked soft and smooth though Ren couldn't help but notice the faint smell of it which honestly didn't smell like any moisturizer a teenage girl would use. What did smell nice though was the fragrant scent of her shampoo that was making its way to his nostrils. It smelt good. Really good. Ren actually liked how her hair looked. It was prim, proper and exuded elegant yet looked quite adorable at the same time. That braid that went across the roof of her head looked immaculate too. But what Ren really found truly intriguing about her were her eyes. Those piercing red eyes. That gaze of hers. That gaze that was looking at him right now, confused at why he was staring.

"Is something the matter?" she asked.

"N-no." Ren stuttered.

Makoto didn't seem convinced and looked to press onto it when their train arrived at the station. Ren couldn't believe the impeccable timing. He noticed a large number of people crowding in, aiming to get inside the train. Makoto turned to him.

"I suppose we should board now, Amamiya-kun." she said with a smile.

"R-right."

The two walked towards the train doors and entered when more people moved to get in. Makoto was nudged to the side and almost knocked over into the carriage walls when Ren caught her, his long lanky arms working in his favour as he held her by her shoulders. She turned around ready to thank him when Ren too was knocked aside right into Makoto. The poor girl felt her back slam into the wall, lucky that her head didn't jolt backwards as Ren still had his arm connected to her. The impact shocked her as her eyes quickly shut in reaction to the pain. Then she felt something press up against her from the front. Makoto weakly opened her eyes to find Ren's grey eyes wide open in surprise as his body was pressed against hers.

"I'm sorry, Niijima-senpai!" he apologized.

She tried her best to not seem annoyed. It wasn't like he had anything to do with their current situation.

"No it's fine, it's not yo-" she began before someone bumped into Ren causing him to press up against her even more.

While he was much taller than she was, their position had left them at relatively the same height causing their chests to rub together. Makoto grimaced at the thought. He was pushed up so far into her that his body could basically feel every part of her body too. Damn it not to mention how thin their shirts were since they had switched to summer uniforms. Oh goodness that wasn't good! He could feel her everything against his torso!

 _'Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod!'_ she began to cry in her head.

Ren was having a similar reaction. While the man that was standing behind Ren had his elbow embedded into Ren's back, pushing the Morgana bag against him all Ren could feel was the soft pillows of Makoto Niijima. His mind went blank. There was nothing else in the world he could feel right now other than how soft Makoto felt against his chest. A warmth of red began to creep its way up his neck. It was made even worse when Makoto tried to wriggle away. At first he attempted to do the same to make it easier for the girl but there was no room for him to move. The people behind him were way too congested to get anywhere. It was no use and Ren soon found that Makoto's squirming was actually making it worse.

 _'They're a lot softer than I thought they'd be.'_ he thought before mentally slapped himself for even thinking that.

They were so tightly pressed against each other that any movement Makoto made was like stirring in a bed of pillows. Well maybe not that exaggerated but the analogy still made sense to Ren. He began to try and block it out of his mind when he heard something he'd never hear.

"Nyuhh…" Makoto accidentally moaned.

It was just low enough for him to hear but he heard it. And oh boy did he wish he didn't hear it. That was definitely something he never expected to hear in a train, let alone from the student council president of all people. It seemed that during their fidgeting there was a certain reaction was happening to Makoto. Suddenly he felt two nubs, slightly rubbing against his chest.

 _'Wait what?!'_ he almost cried out in surprise.

Was this whole situation enough to excite Makoto in that way? Was her bra thin enough that he could even feel that? Oh god why did he even think of that? He peered down dreading what look of disgust she might have on her face. What he was greeted with was probably the reddest he had ever seen someone become.

 _'They should rename her Tomato Niijima.'_ he thought, trying his best to make light of the situation.

"I'm so sorry…" he managed to say.

"It-it's o-o-kay." Makoto murmured.

This situation was incredibly embarrassing for her. Not only could he probably feel her chest pressed against his own, he definitely heard that little moan that had escaped her mouth. When she was tasked to investigate him she didn't think it would be this up close and personal! His head was so close to hers! She could see every detail on his face. His stupid handsome face.

 _'Oh no, I just thought that, didn't I?'_ Makoto winced.

Truth be told, perhaps Makoto's investigation into Ren Amamiya wasn't entirely professional. After all, he was quite the enigma. While the student body had him pegged as good for nothing delinquent, his exam scores and study habits seemed to counter that. That is to say, he wasn't completely an 'honest student'. There was something about him that just screamed rebel. He had that certain bad boy allure that was both intriguing and scary. It didn't help that he had a penchant for cracking jokes. Combine that with his scruffy hair and devilish smirk and it was enough to make Makoto Niijima of all people swoon. And here he was, practically feeling her up with his own body. She could feel his warm breath against her face, heating it up even more than the blood rushing to her face could.

 _'Why is this train ride taking so long?!'_ she mentally complained.

Time seemed to go by even slower. Makoto moved a little, her leg getting caught between Ren's legs. As she did, she lost a bit of balance causing her thigh to roll up his. It immediately shot bolts of electricity up him as she accidentally nudged his groin.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted out, thinking she had kneed him in the nads.

Ren powered through the feeling and weakly smiled at her. Truth be told he was having an incredibly hard time controlling himself. Who could blame him though? Being this close to an admittedly very attractive girl your age, having her breasts right up against your body. It was taking all of his willpower to control his urges and he was thankful that Morgana had yet to peep his smug kitty head out. He soon found himself making a mistake though. His grey eyes glanced down and met Makoto's red ones. They were practically inches apart and he could feel the heat of her gaze beginning to affect him more and more. His resolve was weakening. Not that he didn't find her body appealing, in fact he did quite a lot but there was just something about her eyes that were so entrancing. And ever slowly he began to lean in, losing himself in those optical rubies of hers.

 _'Ohnoohnoohno!'_ Makoto began to panic _'Is he going to kiss me? NonononoI'mnotreadyforthis ahhhh.'_

She had to get out of the situation somehow. Not that she was against the idea of kissing him, it was just way too soon and they weren't even dating let alone friends for that matter! Her first kiss shouldn't be someone that wasn't her boyfriend! It was completely improper! Luck soon came to her as the train announced they had arrived the next station. The robotic voice seemed to work on Ren too, breaking him out of his trance. A few people began to exit the train allowing the poor teenagers some space from each other. It wasn't enough room as they wanted with their bodies still in close proximity but at least they weren't in a position to almost kiss.

 _'Ahhhhhhh!'_ Makoto began to mentally scream.

She couldn't dare face Ren anymore, at least for the time being. His irresistible eyes and stupid handsome face were starting to become a problem, not to mention he probably felt enough of her chest to cover a lifetime. And so she made the decision to turn around, taking advantage of the tiny distance that had appeared between them. Ren silently thanked her for that as he wouldn't have to see those beautiful eyes for the next few minutes. It proved to be their undoing.

As soon as Makoto had turned around another group of people crammed themselves into the train, pushing Ren into her from behind. His broad chest was now right up against her back. She could feel his head drop right above her shoulder. This was even worse! It was like he was hugging from her behind or that spooning thing she had read about before. The way the curves of her body fit snuggly against his wasn't helping either. She could feel his thighs pressed up right against her behind.

 _'WhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdowhatdoIdo?'_ she began to panic even more when suddenly she felt something pressed against her backside.

It started off as a rather soft lump. She wondered what that was when she felt it beginning to grow. And grow. Its softness began to change to hardness which soon wedged itself between the contours of her ass.

 _'Does he have something in his pocket?'_ she wondered.

Then it clicked. That wasn't his pocket. It was way towards the middle to be something in his pocket. It also went from soft to hard. No this was something even worse! Ren Amamiya not only had an erection but said erection had now embedded itself between her cheeks.

 _'OH MY GOD!'_

She covered her mouth to keep herself from screaming. No, she shouldn't make a scene. It would probably make things worse and poor Ren doesn't deserve that. It wasn't his fault she told herself, just a normal teenage bodily reaction. He wasn't the one that chose to put themselves in this compromising position. She was partially at fault too because she had not only waited for him but chose to come up to him when she saw him at the station. Suddenly a thought that she shouldn't be thinking about crossed her mind. It was her fault Ren Amamiya had gotten an erection. He had gotten an erection over her! That was something she had never experienced before. It would have honestly been a little flattering if it wasn't so damn embarrassing.

 _'Noooo don't think about things like that, Niijima!'_ she chided herself.

Ren wasn't faring any better. He couldn't believe that he managed to keep himself from going hard with her chest against him yet as soon as he felt her ass against his body it was immediate flag raising for him.

 _'It's a pretty nice ass though…'_ he thought before mentally slapping himself _'NO! DON'T THINK LIKE THAT!'_

This was embarrassing enough without him having to think perverted thoughts. Oh god, she was probably going to think he's a massive pervert. There goes any chance he would have had with her! He had to be quick and salvage the situation. Hopefully something would make Ren junior go down.

 _'Quick! Think of something else… uhhhhhh…'_ he pondered.

He looked around. There were always things going on in the subway. His eyes soon glanced at an advertisement for food. Something about an American styled diner that had opened a few locations around Shibuya.

 _'Great that works! Think of food! Food isn't sexy or erotic!'_

His excitement dropped when he noticed what the actual food they were advertising was.

Hotdogs.

Hotdogs in buns.

Ren had his hotdog in between Makoto's buns.

 _'NOOOOOOOOOOO NOT LIKE THIS!'_ he mentally screamed.

He would have banged his head in shame against the wall. The main problem was there was an incredibly beautiful young woman sandwiched between him and said wall. Heck he almost did before he noticed him moving was causing Makoto's behind to grind against him. He stopped. That wasn't helping at all! It seemed she noticed as he felt her entire body tense. She even let out a little "eep" in reaction to it. Ren would have found it incredibly cute if he wasn't currently panicking over this situation.

 _'Okay Amamiya, breath. That's the key. Breathing.'_

It was helping a little. Focusing on breathing was causing his excitement to die down. Their station should be coming soon and they could move past this! But in all honesty, how was Ren to face her ever again? Not only did he feel a whole lot of her, she felt a whole lot of him. Oh god he hoped she wouldn't be mad at him or worse, make his life hell because of it. It wasn't his fault! It was just a natural reaction. Lucky for him the carriage doors opened up.

"This is Aoyoma-Itchome!" the announcement cried "This is Aoyoma-Itchome!"

Both Ren and Makoto breathed sighs of relief as several students and a few businessmen exited the train. The pair stood on the platform, awkwardly avoiding each other's eyes as the blurs of people moved around them. Ren was about to apologize when Makoto spoke up first.

"W-we should g-get going." she said, barely above a whisper "D-don't want t-to be l-late, after all."

Ren merely nodded as Makoto walked ahead of him. The image of her skirt and black tights the last thing he saw as she ascended the stairs. While he hoped she wouldn't be on his case as much now, the idea of her completely ignoring him now wasn't a pleasant one. Hopefully this didn't ruin any chances he had with her, whether as a friend or more. A light jostling in his bag knocked him out of his stupor. Morgana peeked his head out, yawning as he did so.

"What's up?" he greeted.

Ren merely blinked.

"What's wrong with you?" Morgana asked.

"N-nothing. We should go." Ren replied.

"Right…" Morgana said "Oh can we get something quick to eat from the canteen? I'm kind of hungry and don't think I'll last til lunch time."

Ren nodded as he began to walk up the stairs.

"Sure, what do you want?"

Morgana pondered for a moment before giving his answer.

"Oh! Do they sell any hotdog buns there?" he asked excitedly.

Ren nearly dropped his bag and fell down the stairs.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

I'm calling this series of ShuMako one shots the "Cardinal" series. While yes, fanfiction based on the Seven Deadly Sins is a little overdone, I always wanted to try my hand at them. Hopefully I can write about things that work with each "sin" without being an overdone idea. Again, this won't have a set schedule or whatever since it's just me writing whatever comes to mind. I'm also a little busy writing for ShuMako Week (Jan 14-20) so that's going to take up most of my writing time for the next few weeks.

And before you ask, yes I spent my New Years writing this instead of being a social person because awkward ShuMako moments are the best thing to bring in the new year.

If you want to follow any of my fanfic related updates, you can follow me on Twitter or Tumblr MadmanJrs


	4. Cardinal: Envy - My Bad Boy

Makoto woke up early Monday morning with a faint smile on her face. It had been a week since Ren had been released from juvenile hall and everything was now starting to calm down. He had reassured her that while he did need to go back home in a month he wouldn't be there for long and would be right back in Tokyo. She had to hold back tears of joy at his reassurance though she willed herself not to be. While she loved and adored him and wanted nothing more than to continue to be with him, she didn't want to come off as an overly clingy girlfriend. This was her first romantic relationship after all and she didn't want to scare him off in any way.

She quickly went through her morning routine as she normally did. A part of her considered doing something different, maybe applying some light make up or something. Maybe Ren would like that? She wondered if he would even notice. One of the alarms she had set on her phone started beeping. It was now time for breakfast. She pushed the thoughts about her appearance aside and moved to the kitchen to eat. By the sink she could see a recently washed plate and bowl.

"Sis must've already left for work." she mused as she went about making herself something to eat.

A bowl of rice, miso soup and some fried fish. It was a standard Japanese breakfast but that's what she usually ate on Mondays. For the most part, Ren didn't mind how scheduled parts of Makoto's life were. That was just how she was and he didn't want to change her if that was how she was comfortable with living. Her boyfriend did however often injected himself in different ways that broke up the monotony of their everyday life. Not that the life of a Phantom Thief was boring but that was all in the past. Everything to do with the Metaverse and changing hearts was behind them now and they could move on with their lives. Speaking of moving on, the next of Makoto's alarms signalled that it was time to leave so she could make her usual 8:05 train. It wasn't long til she was at Ebisu station. As she was standing at the station waiting she noticed a movie poster on display on the pillar beside her.

 **My Bad Boy**  
A Forbidden Love Between Two Opposite Souls  
Now Showing

The poster had the two lovers in an embrace, looking deeply into each other's eyes. What caught Makoto's eye was the slight similarities the male lead had with Ren. While his hair was dyed brown, it fluffed the same way as Ren's. Not to mention he had the same tall, lanky build. The female lead however didn't resemble Makoto at all. She had long black hair that fell to her waist as opposed to the bob cut Makoto was known for. Her eyes were a deep dark brown, similar to most Japanese people whereas Makoto's were so bright they were often classified as red. She looked like the epitome of Japanese beauty, something that males everywhere probably longed for. Makoto wondered why this film would be a "forbidden love" but she shook those thoughts. After all, romantic stories and movies were never her thing. She preferred the thrilling tales of the yakuza, bristling with action and fight scenes. Crime thrillers and stories of adventures were also right up her alley but never romance. Before Ren came along, she barely gave things like love and romance a thought.

The train rolling up to the station platform broke her out of her thoughts and she slowly walked into the carriage as the people of Tokyo packed themselves in. Rush hour in Tokyo was always pretty bad but today seemed to be alright. As she took a seat she noticed two first year girls from Kosei High nearby talking animatedly beside her. She never made it a habit to eavesdrop on other people's conversations as it was quite rude but these two girls were talking fairly loudly she couldn't help but pick up on their words.

"Hey hey, did you finally watch 'My Bad Boy?'" one of them asked.

"Yeah finally! Oh my god, it was so sweet!" the other replied.

"Right?! I wish I had an Akira-kun all to myself!"

"That misjudged bad boy look is soOoOo in right now! He's so hot!"

Those words caught Makoto's attention as that was something people thought about Ren for the longest time. Things had naturally eased up after the revelation that his whole assault case wasn't true and he was released after his innocence was proven. Of course, his return to classes garnered some attention from the student body but that soon faded into the usual gossip. She tried to zone out the gushing fan girls seated beside her as the train moved along. Makoto made her usual transfer at Shibuya station when she noticed a familiar boy standing at the platform. She smiled as her boyfriend turned around to see her. He smiled back.

"Hey you."

"Good morning." she said as she stood beside him.

While their friends and family knew of their relationship, they had agreed to keep the PDA to as minimum as possible. At least that was when they weren't on dates where they could be a couple in public. Thus she had to stay her hand as she was tempted to cling onto his arm as she normally did when they were together. As they waited for the train, Makoto noticed a few girls from their school in the corner of her eye. One of them pointed to Ren and to Makoto's surprised giggled with the other girls joined in. This peaked Makoto's interest however it didn't seem like they had any ill intentions. Probably just some gossiping kids, however Makoto was curious what they were talking about. Were there more rumours spreading about Ren or perhaps it was about the two of them. Maybe people were finally picking up on the romantic relationship between their Student Council President and resident delinquent. The thought brought a light blush to Makoto's cheeks but she managed to fight it off. She'd have to listen around the school today to see if she could learn anything else. Shujin Academy had clearly become engrossed in the gossip mill over the past school year.

It wasn't long til the train arrived and both Makoto and Ren filed in as normal, chatting lightly amongst themselves as they continued their morning commute. Again Makoto noticed the same trio of girls looking at Ren and giggling. It was starting to both confuse and slightly annoy Makoto. She took a deep breath and attempted to block them from her sight.

"You alright?" Ren asked.

Makoto almost flinched when she heard Ren's voice but managed to compose herself.

"Y-yeah," she replied "Just had a little itch in my nose."

Ren smirked at her.

"Why don't you just scratch it with your finger?" he suggested as he lifted his finger up to her nose.

She lightly slapped it and grimaced.

"And look like I'm picking my nose in public? No thanks." she retorted.

He chuckled as he put his hand back into his pocket. Makoto turned her head away from him as she lightly laughed. However her eyes hovered over the gossiping girls once more who were looking at her, almost as if they weren't happy with something. Makoto could feel their fleeting glares towards her as the train continued towards Aoyoma-Itchome. Even after they had arrived at the station platform and were walking to school she could feel their lingering eyes. Makoto's reprieve came when she made it to class and busied herself with preparing for that day's lessons. However things happened again at lunch time which she usually had with Ren. Occasionally Ann, Ryuji or Haru would join them but after Ren's release, the trio made the decision to allow Ren and Makoto the lunch break to make up for missing out on romantic escapades for the past 2 months, much to her embarrassment.

She made her way towards the Student Council room where they normally had lunch. It wouldn't be much longer til she had no more ties to this room. As she turned the corner towards the library and room, she noticed Ren leaning against the wall, flipping his phone around his hand as he waited for her.

"You're going to drop that one day." she muttered.

He looked at her and flashed his trademark smirk.

"Nah, I'm too good for that."

She was about to shake her head at his confidence when she heard few gasps from around the corner. The couple turned to find a few second years looking at them. Their cheeks were flushed and Makoto could see a hint of admiration in their eyes. Eyes that she noticed were directed at Ren. She turned to Ren who had a confused look on his face then back to the girls. She then realized what was happening. They were checking him out! These girls that she had noticed today were checking out her Ren! Her boyfriend of all people! The thought unwillingly caused her forehead to throb. No, she told herself as she took a deep breath. After all, at least they weren't going around spreading terrible rumours about him anymore.

"You alright?" Ren asked breaking Makoto out of her thoughts.

She dropped the keys that she held in her hand at the sound of his voice.

"Oh yes, sorry!" she said picking them back up "Let's eat, shall we?"

Ren looked with a raised eyebrow before waving it off and following her into Student Council room. As they ate the lunch Ren had prepared for the two of them, Makoto couldn't help but think on what was going on. She wasn't really sure why she had this drooping feeling in her stomach. Was the thought that other girls might be interested in Ren getting to her? It wasn't like she could say they had poor taste, obvious bias aside. He was the top student in his grade, had a fit and toned body and had this roguish aura combined with that stupid panty dropping smirk of his. She had to wonder though, why was he getting all that attention now? After all those months where the student body shunned him, why was he catching their eyes now. Lunch break was nearing its end when the couple parted ways for their afternoon classes. Ren apologized for cutting their time together short but he had forgotten that Kawakami had asked him to run an errand for her. She merely smiled at his apologetic expression. As Makoto watched Ren descend the stairs she watched a trio of girls peeking out from behind a corner. She exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding as the girls disappeared from her sight.

"Makoto?" a voice suddenly called out.

It was the second time in the last half hour that she had been broken out of her thoughts. She turned to find Eiko holding a few booklets in her hands.

"Oh hi, Eiko," Makoto said greeting her friend "How are you?"

"I'm good but… what's up with you?"

"N-nothing!" Makoto denied though she could tell Eiko wasn't convinced.

After the whole Tsukasa debacle, Makoto hadn't been sure she would ever be able to make up with Eiko but her friend reached out to her not long after that to patch things up. Makoto was glad it happened. Outside of Ann, Futaba and Haru, Eiko was her closest friend and she wanted to make sure they stayed on friendly terms. And now said friend was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" Eiko asked.

Makoto nodded her head furiously.

"Y-yeah! Don't worry about it!" she replied before trying to change the subject "What's that you're holding?"

Eiko's expression suddenly changed to a much happier one. She flipped it around and flashed the front at Makoto.

"It's only a fan book for the most romantic movie of the last decade!" Eiko beamed.

Makoto had to step back a little so she wouldn't get decapitated by Eiko's enthusiasm. She allowed her eyes to study the booklet in her friend's hands. It had the same image she saw at the train station in the morning. In bold letters at the top was "My Bad Boy".

"Ah, so it's that new movie that came out." Makoto commented.

"It isn't just a movie!" Eiko frowned "It's a ballad of true romance! A rendezvous of two lost souls who by all rights shouldn't be together yet fell in love!"

"I-I see." Makoto said "Wh-what's it about?"

Eiko lowered her hands back to a respectable level and took a deep breath. Makoto could sense a lengthy explanation about to happen. She sighed and braced herself as Eiko began to talk.

"Basically, the female lead is an ordinary girl named Rina. Her life consists of getting good grades and hanging out with her few friends after school but her life changes when the mysterious Akira transfers to her school. At first everyone seems to think he's a dangerous delinquent due to some rumours spreading as well as his unkempt appearance but as the story goes on, you find out that he's just misunderstood even though he has bad boy tendencies."

Makoto listened to every word that came out of her friend's mouth. The story sounded incredibly familiar to her.

"So to try and get his grades up, the school has her tutor him and at first they have a terrible start as Rina thinks he's just a typical delinquent but as she gets to know him, she finds out how he really is." Eiko continued before letting out a little squeal. "And let me tell you! He really is the sweetest guy they could have ever written up! He wasn't a delinquent at all, more like a misunderstood bad boy. Ah I wish I had my own Akira-kun!"

Makoto couldn't help but compare Eiko's retelling with her own life. This was starting to sound a lot like how things were between herself and Ren. She and Eiko made their way down the stairs as they continued talking. Well in Makoto's case, listening to her friend gusher over the movie. Makoto didn't even think she needed to watch the movie herself as Eiko had basically given her a thorough rundown of it. Besides, romance movies weren't really her thing.

"You know…" Eiko began "It kind of reminds me of you and Ren-kun."

Makoto stopped walking and looked at Eiko.

"I… kind of got that feeling." She said.

Eiko giggled a little.

"Well I doubt you need to watch the movie then since you're living it." She said in jest.

Makoto couldn't help but laugh along before a thought struck her. The way Eiko had talked the movie up made it sound like it was probably a popular conversation topic right now. Her eyes widened when she realized what had been happening all day. Girls had been looking at Ren constantly because he was a real life version of Akira. He was good looking with that bad boy aura and now that all those rumours about him were proven false, he was the misunderstood bad boy.

"Hey Eiko?" Makoto asked as Eiko was about to walk towards her class.

"What's up, Mako?"

Makoto took a little breath and steadied herself.

"How did this movie end?" she asked.

A smirk grew across Eiko's lips.

"Oh? Want to see if your story ends the same way too?" she teased.

Makoto tried her best to simply frown at her friend but her ears began to flare red at being caught. She was curious after all.

"N-not at all!" she denied though Eiko wasn't having it.

"Ohoho!" the bubbly girl beamed "Well if you must know, they get married and have 50 children then Rina ends up curing brain farts as Akira joins the army and defeats three legions of watermelons."

"If you're not going to be serious then I'm going to end this conversation." Makoto huffed much to Eiko's delight.

"No but really, you should go watch it. Opening week's over so there shouldn't be too many people packed in, especially after school. There's an action scene towards the climax that I think you'd like."

Makoto didn't want to but the words 'action scene' did pique her interest.

"F-fine." Makoto sighed "I don't have anything planned this afternoon so perhaps Ann or Haru could accompany me."

"Oh yeah, don't go to the movies by yourself. That's a bit weird."

Makoto blanched.

"I-is it? I've n-never done th-that so I wouldn't k-know."

Eiko merely smiled as she said her goodbyes to head over to her class. Makoto sat down in her seat to wait for the next session to start and pulled out her phone. She sent a message to the Phantom Thieves girls chat. While Futaba would most likely pass on watching this movie, Ann and Haru being lovers of romance would definitely jump at the chance.

 _Makoto: Are any of you free this afternoon?_

 _Ann: i am! wassup? got sumthin in mind?_

 _Haru: I too am free this afternoon._

 _Makoto: Well I was thinking of going to see this new movie that came out recently. Would either of you be interested?_

 _Futaba: waw doesn't even ask me D:_

 _Ann: is it My Bad Boy?! Pls tell me its My Bad Boy!_

 _Futaba: nvm dw bout asking me lol_

 _Haru: Oh I've seen the trailer for that but haven't had the chance to go watch it yet._

 _Ann: i had shoots all weekend so i couldnt go watch it! :(_

 _Makoto: Yes, it is My Bad Boy. Is that okay?_

 _Haru: I never thought you would be into that sort of movie, Mako-chan._

 _Futaba: yea thats more Anns shit_

 _It was then that the teacher walked in and Makoto forced herself to text a little more stealthily._

 _Ann: did you just call my taste in movies shit?!_

 _Futaba: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯_

 _Makoto: regardless, Eiko was talking about it earlier as were several others so I became a little curious._

 _Haru: Well I am free and open to watching this movie with you._

 _Ann: SAAAAAAME! I'M SO EXCITED NOW!_

 _Makoto: What about you, Futaba? Will you be joining us?_

 _Futaba: nah i'll pass, shits not really my thing_

 _Futaba: besides, i gotta help out Sojiro later_

 _Makoto: Very well, shall the rest of us meet up outside of the school once we're done?_

 _Ann: sure thing_

 _Haru: Of course._

 _Futaba: have fun, scrubs!_

Makoto rolled her eyes at the youngest member of their group before turning to give the teacher her full attention. The rest of the school day went by rather quickly. After packing up all her things, Makoto left the classroom and noticed Ren talking to a first year. The girl was clearly feeling flustered being around her senpai. Makoto walked closer and overheard the tail end of their conversation.

"Th-thanks again, Amamiya-senpai!" the girl stuttered as she bowed before walking off in an almost playful skip.

"Uh yeah, see ya."

"What was that about?" Makoto asked as she walked up to his side.

"Dunno, she dropped something so I picked it up for her and she got all stuttery." Ren explained "Must be my amazing good looks."

He flashed his trademark smirk at her as she shook her head.

 _'Well, he's not that far off,'_ she thought _'probably.'_

"Got any plans for this afternoon?" he asked.

"Going to the movies with Ann and Haru." Makoto answered.

"Ugh lucky. I've still got plenty of work to catch up on." Ren groaned.

Makoto smiled apologetically at him. It sucked that he still had some catch up assignments to do even though it was the end of term soon. They said their goodbyes and Ren whispered that he would call her later that night. Makoto fought a blush and smiled at him. As she watched him walk away, she noticed the girl that had been speaking with him moments earlier peering around the corner. The sight made Makoto's stomach drop a little but she couldn't really get too mad. While their friends knew about their relationship, the rest of the school didn't, even after the incident at the Student Sharing Special.

 _'Guess her dropping something might have been intentional.'_

She shook the thoughts out of her head and walked outside to wait for Ann and Haru. The action scene in this movie better be worth the movie.

* * *

It was getting late in the evening when Makoto laid in her bed as she reflected on what she had watched earlier that day. The action scene was definitely below par compared to what Makoto was used to. It was quite obvious that they had built up the fighting to have the protagonist overcome the odds as was expected. Still, she supposed that it wasn't the focus of the story which was more about the romance between its two main characters. Throughout the two hour long runtime, Makoto couldn't help but notice the similarities between the characters and herself and Ren. He was a mislabelled delinquent and she was the typical good student. While the Rina in the movie was a lot more outgoing than Makoto, she did notice the girl's soft spot for a certain cartoon character that they had appear regularly. Both Ann and Haru repeatedly poked a few comments in jest every time it appeared much to Makoto's chagrin.

What kept Makoto's interest in the movie however was both the beginning of the relationship and how it blossomed into a romance. The two started off with almost antagonistic exchanges before she was forced to tutor him, not unlike what happened between Makoto and Ren. While the Principal in the movie didn't try to blackmail Rina, he did however offer a Letter of Recommendation as a reward for tutoring Akira, something the girl needed to help alleviate the monetary cost on her struggling family. It wasn't exactly the same but it felt so familiar to Makoto. As the movie went along, Akira had begun to open up more and more to Rina who found out that his delinquent reputation was merely due to being swept up in unfortunate circumstances. He was simply there at the wrong place and went along with whatever people were saying about him instead of fighting it and causing many more incidents. Makoto couldn't help but feel for the young man as she was reminded of Ren again and again. Indeed, other girls must have seen something similar considering Ren did look a lot like Akira. Her musings were broken by the sound of vibrations beside her. She glanced down to find Ren calling for their nightly talk before sleeping. She quickly picked it up and answered it.

"Hello?" she greeted.

"Ay bay bay." Ren's voice said.

"Ugh, don't make me hang up on you." Makoto groaned as Ren laughed before changing the subject "Did you finish your assignments?"

"I have two more left but they aren't due for another week so I can do them sometime later this week."

"You really should get ahead in your studies." Makoto said, reprimanding her boyfriend.

"I'll be fine," he said with such a light hearted tone that she could feel his smirk through the phone before he asked "How was your movie?"

Makoto sighed. While it was on her mind all afternoon, both Ren and she knew she wasn't into romance movies.

"It was alright." she stated.

"Just alright?"

"It was… it was interesting to say the least," Makoto said "It um, well it actually reminded me of us."

She might as well say it but perhaps saying that others saw the same thing wasn't ideal.

"Oh?" Ren asked "How so?"

Makoto fought the blush that had been creeping up her neck to speak in a more composed matter. If she faltered at any point, her loving boyfriend would definitely jump at the chance to poke some fun at her.

"W-well," she began stuttering which wasn't a good sign already "The main couple didn't exactly start off on the right foot and then she ended up being told to keep an eye on him by the Principal."

Ren chuckled a little.

"Yeah I can see how that's similar. She wasn't blackmailed was she?" he asked.

"No but she was offered a Letter of Recommendation if she could get his grades up."

"Heh sounds pretty familiar." Ren chuckled.

Makoto laughed a little with him. Now that all of that business was in the past, she could merely look back on it with a smile. As they continued talking, Ren asked a few more questions about the movie, much to Makoto's surprise as she didn't think he would be interested in romantic movies. In the back of her mind however she couldn't help but think negative thoughts. Ren was sure to get a lot more attention from other girls now that his record had been wiped clean, not to mention all the fan girls of My Bad Boy that would see him as a real life version of Akira. There was a particular plotline that irked Makoto a little; the presence of other girls trying to get with Akira and push Rina away. Would something similar happen to Makoto now? And if so, what could she do about it? This was her first ever relationship with the first ever guy she had feelings for and she wasn't all that sure how to approach it. Should she be honest about her fears with Ren? Would he understand or would he laugh it off and say she was being silly. She probably was being a little silly though considering Ren had told her on multiple occasions that he loved her.

"Hey Ren?"

"What's up?"

"Do you think I'm a good girlfriend?" she asked before she knew what came out of her mouth.

There was silence for a few seconds as Makoto closed her eyes and bit her lip in anticipation.

"Yeah, I do." Ren simply stated.

There wasn't any hint of hesitation she could hear in his voice.

"Why do you ask?" he questioned.

"Oh um!" Makoto stuttered.

She didn't really want to tell him she felt a little threatened by the attention he had been getting from other women. It wasn't like her to be jealous like that or did she want to seem possessive. Sure, people were envious of various things. It was just human nature but when it came to Ren and his love, Makoto had been reassured by him always that she was the one he loved. In may not have been in direct words but the way he was around her and his actions told her that. So why was she feeling so anxious about it?

"Was it something you saw in the movie?" Ren asked.

 _'Not exactly'_ Makoto thought but she wasn't going to tell him that.

"Um, yes sorry. I couldn't help but compare it a little." she half confessed.

"Hey c'mon now, you know I love you for you." Ren said reassuringly "I mean you worked so hard to get proof for my innocence and get me out of jail. How many guys can say their girlfriends did that for them?"

"Wh-when you put it like that…" Makoto trailed off.

"Makoto, I love you, okay?"

Makoto was silent for a while, desperately fighting the blush that was winning decisively.

"You're blushing right now, aren't you?" Ren said.

She could practically feel his grin through the receiver.

"Shush you." Makoto grumbled "It's getting pretty late. I'm surprised Morgana hasn't meowed at you to go to sleep yet."

"Ehh he's been lenient with sleep ever since he came back," Ren laughed "but yeah you're right. We should probably get some sleep."

"Mmm…"

"What's up?"

Makoto tossed around in her bed a bit to get comfortable as she held the phone to her ear.

"Just stay on with me for a bit longer…" she said with a little yawn.

Ren could be heard chuckling a little on the other side.

"Of course, my Queen."

* * *

For the rest of the week, Makoto did her best to ignore or wave off the attention Ren had been receiving. So far there hadn't been a girl brave enough to actually make a proper move on him. It had mostly been far away looks or the odd short conversation, at least from what she was able to witness. It did help that most of the time he was accompanied by herself, Ryuji, Ann, Haru or Mishima at school for most of the time.

That changed Friday afternoon. Ren had wanted to go out for dinner with her that evening and said he'd kill some time studying in the library while she finished up the last of her Student Council duties for that week. When she was done she quickly sent Ren a text before packing up her things as she began to contemplate where they should go to eat. She was about to open the door when she heard voices.

"So what do you need?" a familiar male voice asked.

Makoto's eyes opened. That was Ren! Who was he talking to?

"Um, I-I just wanted to s-say something." a female voice stuttered "Can you follow me?"

That wasn't anyone Makoto recognized. She opened the door to find an empty corridor.

"Alright, what's up?" she heard Ren talk.

Around the corner towards the bridge to the practice building Makoto saw Ren standing with the first year girl from earlier that week. Makoto couldn't see the girl's face as she had her back turned to her. She almost called out to Ren but stopped when she saw the girl suddenly bow.

"I-I like you, Amamiya-senpai!" the girl stated "P-please go o-out with m-me."

Ren was shocked to say the least. Makoto could see that evidently on his face.

"Uh well…" Ren droned.

Makoto watched intently as the gnawing of nervous anticipation ate at the back of her mind.

 _'Ren loves you,' s_ he told herself _'Ren loves you.'_

Her eyes met Ren's as he looked up. He gave her an almost pleading look. Makoto was tempted to step in, to show the girl that Ren was her boyfriend. She almost did when she noticed the shaking frame of the girl in front of her. The girl must have mustered up much courage to confess to Ren and she most likely didn't know he was already spoken for. Makoto didn't want to seem like a vindictive kind of person. She heard the fluttering of light footsteps behind her. She turned to see a group of girls watching them, most of them first years, probably the girl's friends. They all watched and waited to see Ren's answer.

"I'm sorry," he said as gently as he could "I'm flattered but I already have someone I love."

Makoto watched as the girl's shoulders slump in defeat.

"I-I should have figured that were the case," she said sadly "Th-thank you for turning me down gently."

She paused before asking another question.

"Um Amamiya-senpai?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"Th-that person you said you love. Is it Niijima-senpai? I always see you with her."

Ren smiled as his eyes quickly glanced towards Makoto who had been watching behind her.

"Yeah, it's her."

The girl nodded her head in understanding before turning around. It was then she noticed the young woman that had been watching their exchange the whole time, much to her surprise.

"N-Niijima-senpai!" she stuttered in shock.

Makoto merely smiled as gently and welcoming as she could. She couldn't blame the girl. Ren was quite the catch, after all. What did irk her a little was how his newfound popularity seemed to be from the movie and not from who he was but she supposed she shouldn't be picky. At least he wasn't having terrible rumours spread about him like before. The girl's body went rigid before bowing at a complete 90 degrees.

"I'm sorry!" she shouted "I didn't know you were already dating Amamiya-senpai!"

The girl closed her eyes, dreading what punishment may befall her for approaching the Student Council President's man in such a way. When nothing happened for half a minute she peered up to see Makoto smiling down at her.

"There's no need to apologize." Makoto said "You didn't know and mustered up a lot of courage to confess. I can't say I blame you for taking a fancy towards… Amamiya-kun."

Ren raised a single eyebrow at her for being called Amamiya-kun. They both looked at the girl who let out a relieved smile. Makoto had even complimented her for being brave and going for it even though she likely never had a chance anyways. She bowed at her seniors and apologized once more before running off to her friends. The older students could hear them gossiping amongst each other.

"I didn't know they were actually dating! I thought she was just helping him study."

"I thought he was helping her with Student Council stuff the whole time."

"I was scared she might have been mad at me but she was so nice to me even though I was approaching her boyfriend like that."

"You know, now that I see them together, they do make quite the couple."

"It's just like Rina and Akira-kun!"

"I'm going to 100% support them now!"

"Me too!"

Ren chuckled as he walked up to Makoto.

"You handled that pretty maturely." he commented.

"Oh? Would you rather I have torn her head off or something? Maybe blast her with Freidyne?" Makoto teased.

"Nah I figured you'd just give her the ol' Niijima glare and make her wet herself or something," he laughed "But forreal, I didn't really know what to do there."

"You mean the self-proclaimed smooth talking Joker was at a loss for words?" Makoto smirked "Why I never thought I'd see the day."

Ren groaned and fought off a little blush which Makoto took as a massive victory. It was rare to get him all flustered like that after all. The two made their way down the stairs and were about to leave when a voice called out to them. They turned around to see a boy from Makoto's grade running up to them. He took one look at Ren that seemed to give off a negative vibe before turning to Makoto.

"Niijima-san!" he shouted "I promised myself I would do this before the year was over."

"Err… Kitamoto-san?"

The boy lit up at being recognized. Behind him Makoto noticed the group of first girls from earlier looking at the scene intently. Their gazes were directed right at Kitamoto. The boy flung himself into a deep bow.

"I like you, Niijima-san! Please go out with me." he yelled.

You could hear a pin drop with how silent the atmosphere had become. Both Makoto and Ren were speechless. What were the odds that they'd both receive a confession in the same day? While their friends and family did know about their relationship, the student body didn't other than the fact that they spent a lot of time together. In fact, the "stunning confession of love" during the School Festival had been swept under the rug due to Akechi stirring Shujin's obsession with the Phantom Thieves. It was the first years that reacted first.

"EHHH?!" they all exclaimed.

The shouting knocked Makoto out of her daze. She was about to say something when she felt a dark aura beside her. She turned to see Ren beside her looking like he was struggling to hold something sinister deep inside him from erupting.

 _'Arsene? Or Satanael?!'_ Makoto panicked.

In contrast to Makoto who had kept herself calm when their kohai had confessed to Ren, her boyfriend didn't look like his typically composed self at all.

 _'Is he… possessive of me?'_ she wondered.

She turned to Kitamoto who was still bowing.

"Um… Kitamoto-san, please get up." Makoto said.

The boy in question raised his head but froze when he noticed Ren's seething glare towards him. Makoto noticed too and was about to say something when she heard objections from the least likely source.

"HEY HOW DARE YOU CONFESS TO SOMEONE RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEIR BOYFRIEND!"

The three older students noticed the group of first years stomping their way towards them.

"DON'T THINK YOU CAN TRY AND STEAL NIIJIMA-SENPAI AWAY FROM AMAMIYA-SENPAI!"

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TRYING TO DO THAT?!"

"I SUPPORT NIIJIMIYA FOR LIFE!"

Kitamoto fell backwards trying to avoid the oncoming barrage.

"B-B-Boyfriend?!" Kitamoto stammered.

"Yes!" the girl who had confessed earlier screeched "Amamiya-senpai is Niijima-senpai's boyfriend!"

It seemed that the girl had already forgotten her feelings towards Ren and was now 100% on Makoto's side. Kitamoto's face paled in shock. He didn't know about this at all. His eyes scanned upwards towards Ren who had been looking down at him.

"Wait…" he began looking at Ren in shock "She's dating this delinquent?"

"HE'S NOT A DELINQUENT HE'S JUST MISUNDERSTOOD!" the group of girls yelled.

He reeled from the outburst before looking at Ren and Makoto once more. Without warning he quickly and almost violently bowed his head.

"I'M SORRY I DIDN'T KNOW. PLEASE DON'T SIC YOUR FANGIRLS ONTO ME!" he screamed before scrambling off, his voice cracking towards the end of his sentence.

The older students merely blinked and watch him leave, even noticing him almost falling over around the corner. The silence was broken by Ren who turned to his girlfriend.

"What… what just happened?"

"I-I don't know?" Makoto blankly stated.

Their daze was broken by the group of girls that stood proudly before them. They suddenly straightened their bodies and saluted their seniors.

"You 100% have our support!" they all proudly declared.

With that the group bowed and left the bewildered couple.

"So um… that girl did a quick 180, didn't she?" Makoto commented.

Ren began to chuckle.

"Futaba would say we have quite the group of avid shippers."

"Oh god, please don't tell her about this." Makoto said, paling at the situation.

"Don't worry, I won't." her boyfriend laughed.

As they walked out the building Makoto spoke up once more. This was her chance to get a little jab at the infallible Ren Amamiya.

"You know, you were looking quite possessive of me back there." she said with a smirk.

Ren stopped in his tracks before turning to her. A matching smile graced his lips as he leant in.

"Of course I would be," he said "After all, you're the one I'm going to marry one day."

 _'Damn this boy!'_ Makoto groaned as her face lit up like a stop light.

"You just had to say something like that, didn't you?!" she whined much to Ren's amusement.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as they began to walk towards the station.

"When you react like that, I just can't help it."

His girlfriend gave her probably the cutest pout he had seen in a while as he continued to laugh. She soon joined him, smiling all the way to the station. He was hers alone. Unknown to them, the group of first year girls had been watching the exchange from around the corner. They all had hearts flashing from their eyes.

"They're so cute together!"

"We have to make sure they stay together forever!"

"It's just like in 'My Bad Boy'!"

They all began to squeal and fangirl as the couple disappeared from their sights. Each of them hoped one day to have a relationship like that. One day they'd have their own Bad Boy to call their own.

Just like Niijima-senpai.

* * *

DAE HARDCORE SHUMAKO/NIIJIMIYA SHIPPER? Join the party.

While the topic of other people being interested in either Ren or Makoto isn't an original idea, I did want to put my own spin on it by having it be influenced by something popular like a movie. The name Akira obviously comes from Joker's Manga name whereas Rina is from Makoto's Japanese VA: Rina Satou who by the way is one of my favourite voice actors in Anime/Japanese gaming.

I have a lot more ideas for ShuMako one shots including ones for this Cardinal series however trying to think of some that aren't typical is a bit hard which is why I did both Lust and Envy first as they were harder to think of original ideas. Hope you all enjoyed!

Feel free to follow me on Twitter MadmanJrs for more updates and random tweeting.


	5. Cardinal: Greed - Keeping You with Me

Soft white specks of snow gently fluttered through the crowded streets of Shibuya as a young man stood on the sidewalk, a tall woman standing a short distance away from him. They had just struck a deal. To provide evidence against the most despicable man in recent history he would have to turn himself in. To uphold justice he would have to suffer injustice once more. To protect his team he would have to leave them leaderless. To keep the woman he loves safe he would have to leave her side. The irony of the situation was the person asking him to turn himself in was his girlfriend's own sister. He was just about to walk away with her when his phone buzzed.

"Just a moment." he said.

Sae turned around and looked at Ren. An almost sad smile graced his face. Something that caused conflict within him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"I…" he began "I'm going to need a little more time."

Sae sighed but nodded. The young man at least deserved some time to get his affairs in order.

"Very well, you can turn yourself in tomorrow." she said "I need to finalize some things anyways. I'll drop by LeBlanc in the morning."

Ren nodded as he read through the message again. It was Christmas Eve and Makoto wanted to spend time with him. With everything that was going on, he had almost forgotten what day it was. But he could never forget Makoto. His lieutenant. His advisor. His love.

His Queen.

If things went bad, tonight might be the last night he could ever see her again. He replied to her message.

Ren: That sounds great.

Makoto: Thank you!

Makoto: I'm over in Shibuya now. Let's meet up in front of the station.

Ren: See you soon.

Ren pocketed his phone and breathed in the chilly air. He had to prepare himself for this.

* * *

Meeting up with Makoto was easy enough. Seeing her face always brought a smile to his. She had quickly attached herself to his arm, leaning gently against his shoulder as they walked aimlessly through Shibuya. Around them many couples had the same idea, enjoying a romantic evening stroll through the speckled white streets. They were all so happy. So carefree and in love. Not knowing what had happened earlier that day when the world almost ended. Not remembering the hardships a small group of teenagers had gone through to make sure humanity would keep its freedom. And now that all of that was behind them, they were left to pick up the pieces. To make sure Masayoshi Shido and his cohorts faced justice.

Ren's eyes turned away from the loving couples around them down to the young woman beside him. She seemed to be engrossed in her surveying of a nearby restaurant. His eyes gazed at what she was looking at. It was a rather fancy Italian restaurant and the faint smell of tomato and oregano wafted through the air. Makoto looked up at Ren who had inhaled the air, trying his best to get a whiff of the delicious scent. He glanced down at her and blushed a little at having been caught.

"Sorry…" he murmured.

"It's fine. I've heard good things about authentic Italian food but haven't had a chance to try." she replied.

Makoto too took a sniff before looking back at the restaurant.

"I'd like to eat here but it's way too packed right now." she said with a disappointed smile "Maybe you can take me here sometime?"

Ren could feel a lump build in his throat. He tried his best to steady himself. He wanted nothing more than to promise Makoto this. To be able to take the woman he loved so much to places like this. Wherever she wanted, he would go with her. He kept his hands in his pockets, moving them around slightly to wipe the sweat that had begun to gather. How was he even sweating in this cold weather? His eyes glanced back at the restaurant then back to Makoto.

"Yeah," he breathed out "I promise to take you anywhere you want to go."

Makoto blushed a little at the romantic words coming from his mouth.

"You don't have to sweet talk me like that, Ren."

He chuckled lightly.

"I don't but I want to."

As the pair continued their way down the busy street Ren peered back at the Italian Restaurant. Maybe it was selfish to promise something he wasn't sure he could deliver on. But he couldn't bring himself to deny her. He just wanted this so much.

* * *

After some time spent in Shibuya, the two lovers made their way back to LeBlanc. It had gotten much colder as the night went on so they had decided to get some warmth when Ren noticed that Makoto was starting to shiver. They walked through the familiar front door as the bell rung though Sojiro wasn't there to greet them as he normally did. Makoto sighed as the door closed behind Ren.

"Everywhere is quite crowded during the Christmas season." she stated "Plus, all the couples look so happy together."

Ren nodded in agreement though the inner Joker in him wanted to mess around a bit.

"Guess we can't lose to them." he joked with that all too common smirk gracing his lips.

Makoto instantly became flustered. She could never get used to how her boyfriend could turn any little comment into a way to make her blush.

"Oh come on!" she whined.

He grinned, laughing in amusement as she led him up the stairs before plopping herself onto the couch. She patted the space beside her, gesturing for the tall boy to sit down. There was a slightly apprehensive look on her face.

"So…" she began "What should we do now? We're finally alone together."

Pondering for a moment on what they could do before exhaling lightly.

"This isn't any different than usual, is it?" she said.

Ren smirked again. He just couldn't help but let his Joker personality come out, even on a night like this. Looking deep into her ruby eyes he spoke.

"You make every moment special."

Makoto turned away from him in embarrassment, hugging her body to stabilize herself. Her man just had to go and say that. It was incredibly cheesy but in all honesty, that's how Ren felt whenever he was with her.

"How can you say that with a straight face?!" she exclaimed in surprise though she honestly should have seen that coming.

The two lovebirds spent some more time simply talking, enjoying the company they gave each other. It seemed Makoto was pretty talkative tonight with their conversation going from topic to topic. Maybe it was a way to get her mind of recent events and distract her from nothing but the young man in front of her. She spoke animatedly about the things she wanted to do during the school winter vacation. Ren could feel a pit forming in his stomach as she described all the activities and events she'd like to enjoy with him. How she wanted to spend New Year's Eve with him too considering the last time they watched fireworks ended with heavy rain. Heavy rain. Ren willed all his strength to keep the dam from bursting. He had to keep it together. For her sake. So far he was succeeding. He managed to distract himself enough when she noticed her digging into the pocket of her blue coat.

"Oh yes. Here." she said, handing him a velvet blue box "It's a present for you."

Ren opened it slowly to find a silver watch, the ceiling light reflecting off it slightly. It was beautiful and refined with a black display and metallic red markers. The watch looked incredibly sophisticated. He couldn't help but smile. It seemed to encompass Makoto's essence. The hands were already moving, ticking ever slowly. Time. A somewhat ironic gift considering tonight might just be the last time he could ever see her. And if he did get out, how long would that take? How long before he could see her face again? How long before he could see his friends and family again. He gripped the box a little tighter. If he had his way, he'd never let tonight end.

"I hope you like it…" his girlfriend said shyly.

"It's… it's wonderful." he replied, a little choked up.

Makoto smiled back.

"Handle it with care!"

Ren closed the box and placed it between his lap as Makoto shifted slightly in her chair.

"I-I don't mean to change the subject so suddenly…" she began as her expression changed "But my sister has been handling the Shido case and… it seems like she's run into some trouble…"

Another pit built up in Ren's stomach. Makoto began to describe the trouble Sae was going through. The same story that the older Niijima sister had told him earlier that evening. But not as thorough as Sae's. It seemed Sae hadn't told Makoto everything and Ren was slightly grateful for that. He didn't want Makoto to panic and worry about everything. His eyes glanced at the woman beside him.

"I trust my sister and I'm sure she'll do her job well," Makoto continued "but it's a little scary, not knowing what might happen…"

Ren's stomach dropped even more. A part of him wanted to tell her what he and Sae had decided to do but… could he really do that? He was turning himself in to make sure she would stay safe. To make sure all their friends would stay safe. Makoto stared at the wooden floorboards of LeBlanc's attic before turning to Ren who was doing the same thing, a forlorn expression on his face. She could easily see it, something was troubling him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

His eyes stayed fixated on the floor. Not glancing up at her.

"I… I'm sorry…" he murmured.

Makoto was taken aback at the sudden apology, confused and distressed at her boyfriend's condition.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

He didn't respond and continued to stare down at his feet. She grit her teeth a little. Something was definitely wrong. She quickly blurted out an apology, trying to salvage their night.

"I… I'm sorry for bringing up a strange topic! On… Christmas Eve, no less…"

Ren stayed quiet. He was clearly hurting over something and now she too was hurting. Maybe it would be best if she left for the night.

"I'll be going now." she said softly.

He finally turned towards her. Should he go with her? What if he did? What if he ran off with her to the countryside to hide it out for the rest of their lives? What if he suddenly boarded a plane to another country to live as a free man with the woman he loved? He shook his head. No, that was wrong. His friends would all suffer because he wanted to leave everything behind so he could be with Makoto. The feeling of greed made his heart drop. How could he even consider such a thing? No, this was the only way.

"I'll walk you back." he stated but was met with the shaking of her head.

"No, I'm fine." Makoto said, clearly dejected at tonight ending like this.

She stood up to make her way down the stairs before stopping. Something was clearly wrong and Ren was keeping it bottled up inside him. Was he worried about the Shido case too? She dared not face him, scared of what he might say or do. But still, she couldn't help but worry for him. Ren wasn't the best at venting his problems, preferring to listen and be the one people leant on for strength and courage. As they grew closer to become friends and eventually lovers, Ren found himself being more open with her and they were at the point in their relationship when they could pretty much tell each other anything, which in Makoto's mind meant that there was something clearly upsetting him and he was bottling it up again.

"Hey…" she prodded "You're keeping something from me, aren't you?"

Ren stood up, hands still in his pockets, trying desperately to keep them still. Makoto turned back slightly, her eyes glancing at his shadow before turning away.

"Never mind." she quickly said "Good night…"

As she began to walk away she felt herself stop. Two long arms wrapped itself around her waist as she felt something rest on her shoulders. She could feel the frizzy mop of hair almost tickling the side of her face.

"Makoto…" Ren spoke, his voice muffled by the fabric of her coat.

"Ren..?" she asked.

His embrace became tighter, almost as if he was afraid she would be gone forever. He said nothing as they stood there for several moments. She could feel him trembling against her smaller frame. The slight shaking caused Makoto to be caught off balance for a moment. She took a step forward to steady herself when she felt Ren's arms contract even more. He really did not want to let her go.

"Do you want me to stay?" she asked.

She felt his head nod against her shoulder.

"Okay." she said causing him to relax his grip.

Makoto pivoted within Ren's arms to face him. His eyes met hers for a second before straying from her gaze.

"Ren," she began "Will you tell me what's wrong?"

His face stayed down, unmoving causing her to swallow in defeat. His silence was her answer. Even though she desperately wanted him to tell her, even to try and force it out of him she knew that it might hurt him more. She relented, placing her soft hands on his cheeks.

"Tell me when you're ready, okay?" she told him, mustering the best smile she could.

His eyes met hers. They were like a deep sea, shimmering with depths of emotion. An abundance of feelings came over him, like a wave softly crashing against a beach. He could feel them all. Worry. Acceptance. Love. Knowing that he wasn't alone in the world. They weren't only partners in the Metaverse. They were partners in this world, in life. And yet he needed to do this alone for her sake, for all their sakes. Ren swallowed the saliva that had been forming in his mouth.

"Yeah…" he managed to croak out.

Makoto sighed. That would have to do for now. She leant against his chest as his arms tightened once more.

"I'm sorry…" Ren said once more before releasing her.

"Hey," Makoto began as she tried to comfort her boyfriend once more "it's okay. When you're ready, alright?"

Ren sheepishly nodded. Makoto sighed and turned to the boxes where Ren kept his clothing.

"Do you have anything that'll fit me?" she asked.

He looked at her in confusion, head tilted slightly. Makoto giggled, tapping him lightly on his head.

"Well I AM staying after all." she said "You don't expect me to sleep in this coat, do you?"

A dry chuckle escaped Ren's lips. He nodded and walked over to his makeshift closet, throwing her a large black shirt.

"Do you need pants as well?" he asked.

She inspected the shirt and shook her head.

"No I think this is long enough to cover my legs. I'll be right back."

Ren watched as her figure disappeared down the stairs and he almost instinctively reached out, once again afraid that she would just leave. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed at his display of weakness. He shook his head and quickly got changed before Makoto returned. He sat himself down at the edge of his bed waiting for her to come back. She did in a few minutes and Ren couldn't help but be blown away at the sight. His black shirt hung loosely over her petite frame yet it clung to her body in all the right places. Ren had to look down a little to not feel like he was perving on her. Then he saw her bare legs from underneath the base of the shirt. It just barely covered her bottom and showed an ample amount of her long legs that had his heart beating. He glanced up once more. The neckline of his shirt had fallen off the point of her shoulder and all of a sudden he could see that she wasn't wearing a bra underneath. His eyes quickly glanced at her chest for a second before turning away

"You're um…" he couldn't help but start before he trailed off, distracted by the revealed skin of his girlfriend.

"Hm?" Makoto pondered before realizing where his eyes had been looking at.

She quickly deduced it was her exposed shoulder and collarbone. She blushed at her boyfriend's gaze and bashfully pulled the neckline up. She then realized he noticed she wasn't wearing her undergarments. Her face continued its descent into blushing hell causing her to turn away in embarrassment. Ren couldn't help but continue to look. His girlfriend wasn't just amazingly beautiful but the fact that she was only in his shirt was doing all sorts of things for the young man. This was not how he expected tonight to go. The clearly embarrassed girl quickly turned off the light before turning back towards him. Even in the dim moonlight that was shining through the window, Ren could still see how stunning she was.

"Um…" Makoto began before mumbling something incoherent.

"What's up, Makoto?" he asked.

"Did you… I mean… are we going to…" she droned off.

He looked confused, especially when Makoto slowly walked up to him and proceeded to do something he never would have expected coming from her. She raised her legs up and rested her knees around his before placing herself down onto his lap to straddle him. He almost had a heart attack as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leant her head down on one of his shoulders.

"Did you, you know…" she continued but was unable to finish her sentence.

It didn't take Ren long to realize what she had meant after that. He was glad that the light was off because his face had gone bright red. The furthest they had gone in their three and a half months of dating was making out with a lot of wandering hands but they had yet to do the actual deed. He considered it for a moment. Quite possibly his last night with her and he had a chance to consummate their relationship. For the two lovers to join their bodies and become one. He could feel the warmth of her breath on his shoulder through the fabric of his shirt and it was really testing him. Surely he wouldn't be remiss in wanting it. The feeling of Makoto's body against him. The act of indulging himself in her everything. Would it not be okay for him to make love to his willing girlfriend when he was about to sacrifice his time and possibly his life so that Shido could be put behind bars for good?

He almost lost himself in his lustful thoughts when he felt something shaking. His arms wrapped a little tighter against Makoto's lithe frame. She was quivering and it wasn't from the cold as they had turned on the heater when they had arrived hours ago. She was nervous and anxious and why shouldn't she be? This was a huge step in their relationship and you only have a first time once. Ren dug his face into Makoto's hair and breathed in her scent. The shaking had stopped but he could still feel her heart beating. He knew instantly. She wasn't ready for this. He took in another breath and sighed. He almost let his lustful feelings consume him and while Makoto had implied she was willing, he knew they weren't ready. No, he had to hold himself back because if he ever did get out and she was still waiting for him.

It would make their love that much sweeter.

"No, Makoto." He said after removing his face from her hair "I- well, I can tell you're not ready so…"

She looked into his eyes curiously.

"Are… are you sure?" she asked.

Ren nodded before he leant in and kissed her softly on the lips. Makoto melted for a moment and pushed herself more into the kiss. She could feel the passion emanating from her boyfriend as their lips connected. She almost let it escalate before he broke the kiss. Makoto looked at his face illuminated by the moonlight in confusion. He rested his head on her shoulder once more and she could feel his arms tighten around her body.

"I just want to hold you tonight." He spoke.

Makoto couldn't help but melt once more. Why did her boyfriend have to be so romantic? She soon felt her body being pulled down as Ren laid the both of them down on his bed. His arms were still wrapped around her as she lay facing him. In fact, it was starting to get a little bit uncomfortable for her. She only imagined how uncomfortable the weight of her body was on his arm, even if she didn't weigh all that much. She lifted her hand up to his face and placed it gently on his cheek, lightly stroking it.

"You don't have to keep holding on to me like that, Ren." She said. "You can move your arm or let go if it's more comfortable."

Her words seemed to have the opposite effect as his arms not only refused to budge but tightened once more around her torso. She thought for a moment on what had happened today. Not only did they almost die numerous times but she had seen his eyes as she disappeared into nothingness when they almost lost. Was he scared of her disappearing again? Ren probably thought she wouldn't notice but she had been around her boyfriend enough to know when something was on his mind. She just wanted to ease his worries tonight.

"Ren, my love." Makoto continued "I'm not going anywhere."

She hoped that would be enough to reassure him but he hugged her tighter, even burying his face into her chest.

"Ren?" Makoto wondered.

She could feel him tremble against her body. She didn't really know what to do and so she began to stroke his hair softly, almost motherly in an attempt to soothe him. Luckily for her, it seemed to be working. While she loved both holding and being held by him, she couldn't help but hate the situation. She never liked to see her boyfriend in a vulnerable position. He was the strongest person she knew. He had endured so much already and she wished he could finally rest easy and live his life. She wished that he could just live a normal life with her. Was that too much to ask for?

They laid there in silence as Makoto continued to caress his hair. Minutes went by until she felt Ren mumble something into her chest.

"What was that, Ren?" she asked.

He shuffled away from her, raising his face up towards her level.

"I love you, Makoto." He said. "I love you so much."

The sudden declaration took Makoto by surprise. They had yet to say those three words and if Makoto was honest with herself, she always thought she would be the one to say it first. After all, he had saved her life not only during their adventures in the Metaverse but uplifting her from the pushover who just did what was asked of her and kept to herself to the strong willed woman they referred to as 'Queen'. She blinked a few times as she gazed into his eyes under the light of the moon. She couldn't help but tear up.

"Ren," she croaked "I love you too. So so much."

She lifted her hands up once again to his face and moved closer to kiss him on the lips. It was short and chaste yet it encompassed as much love and passion in it as any long, make out session. She gently nudged him and he moved to lie on his back as she snuggled up beside him and rested her head on his chest. She could feel his arm tighten around her once more. A part of her wanted to ask what had been troubling him tonight but she didn't want to push it. She hoped he would tell her eventually but for tonight, she just wanted to hold and be held by him. They deserved to rest even just for tonight. She began absentmindedly tracing her fingers around the contours of his chest and she felt him lean closer to her and kissed her on the temple. She sighed contently and closed her eyes where sleep soon overtook her as she was held in the embrace of the one she loved the most.

Ren however, had no luck falling asleep unlike Makoto. His mind had been playing all these thoughts through his head and he just laid there, awake and holding her. He couldn't help but stare at his beloved. For some reason tonight the moon had been shining brightly, directly through his window. The pale light shone down on his girlfriend, illuminating her beauty for him to see. He knew he was being clingy but he couldn't do anything but hold her tightly against him as she slept. The way she was softly breathing, enough to feel the warmth of her breath against his chest. The way her hair gently swayed as her body rose and fell. She was just so beautiful and he wanted nothing more to stay with her. But come morning, he had to go away, probably for a long time.

He grit his teeth when he realized she would still be here when Sae came to collect him. Shit, he shouldn't have asked her to stay. He shouldn't have been selfish and asked for one more night to hold her. But he couldn't help himself. He just needed to be with her. He loved her so much but he had to do this. He had to sacrifice his freedom for theirs. He hoped she would understand. He hoped all of them would. This was for their sake. He gently raised his hand and stroked her cheek softly.

"I just hope you won't hate me for this." He whispered.

She stirred for a moment, readjusting her position on his chest before lying still once more. A stray tear rolled down Ren's face before he closed his eyes and hoped he would wake up and find that this was just a dream and he could be with her forever.

* * *

Makoto's eyes fluttered as she woke. The sounds of birds outside could be heard and she couldn't help but feel sorry for them as they were outside in the cold and she was in here all warm and being held by her-

Wait a second.

It took her a moment for the room to register and what had been missing. She opened her eyes and looked down to see herself lying on the bed alone with no Ren to be found. She checked the clock that hung on the wall to see it was 7 in the morning.

"Ren?" she called out.

There was no answer but she could hear movement downstairs. She stretched for a moment before jumping out of Ren's bed, slipping on a pair of slippers that Ren had lying around and heading down the stairs.

"Ren?" she called out once more as she descended the final step.

What she saw surprised her incredibly. She saw Ren who she expected to be downstairs sitting at the counter and Sojiro was leaning against the back wall with his arms crossed. In the corner of her eye she could see Futaba sitting down with her arms around her knees, looking quite forlorn. What surprised her most was the person seated beside Ren. It was her sister who had a rather perplexed expression on her face, matching Makoto's own confusion. She realized that she had only been wearing Ren's shirt and moved to push it down to cover up her exposed thighs. Sae looked curiously at her.

"Wh-what's going on here?" Makoto asked, trying to ignore her sister's eyes.

"Makoto, why are you here?" Sae asked.

"I um- well, that is to say…" Makoto mumbled.

"Amamiya, explain yourself." Sae ordered with her eyes fixated on the boy beside her.

He shrunk into himself, scared at what might happen.

"She um…" he started but couldn't find the words.

Sae's eyes narrowed at him.

"So yesterday when you said you needed more time, you decided to bed my sister one last time?"

"No!" he cried out "No I mean, we did sleep in my bed but that's all we did!"

"Do you expect me to believe that?" Sae said in annoyance.

"Sis, what's going on?" Makoto chimed in, moving closer towards them.

Sae sighed and took a sip of the coffee in front of her.

"We can talk about this another time, I guess." She said in between sips "After you put some pants on."

Makoto blushed lightly and hurried upstairs to get changed. As she returned she could hear Sae mutter something.

"I guess this'll just complicate things."

Ren couldn't help but laugh dryly. What an absurd situation to be in. He glanced towards Sae who began to explain to Makoto. He couldn't do it himself. He just couldn't tell her.

"Ren-kun will be turning himself in today." Sae simply stated.

"What?! Why?!" Makoto asked in confusion.

"We need him to testify against Shido but that would also mean…" Sae began before Makoto cut her off.

"That would mean admitting to being a Phantom Thief."

That much she could understand but still. She looked around to see Sojiro looking down solemnly as Futaba buried her face into her legs, on the verge of crying. So this is what Ren was troubled about. She took a step towards her boyfriend.

"Ren?"

He kept his head down, unable to face her. He should have told her. He should've given her time to take in his decision and come to terms with it. Ren swore under his breath. He really should have told her. She would understand if he did and now she was just being put on the spot. Not to mention Sae was about to find out about them being romantically linked.

"Ren, talk to me." She pleaded.

His eyes drooped down even more. He just couldn't look at her.

"Makoto?" Sae suddenly interjected "Can you tell me why were in LeBlanc in nothing but Ren-kun's shirt?"

Makoto desperately fought a blush and cleared her throat. She may as well come out with the truth.

"He's my boyfriend." She simply stated "I wanted to spend Christmas Eve with him alone."

"And did you… were you two, y'know?" Sae tried to ask "Were you two active?"

"No!" Ren suddenly exclaimed, even standing up to prove his point "No we haven't. We didn't."

A drop of sweat fell from his brow. Sae calmly took another sip of her coffee. Both Ren and Makoto were unsure if she was about to accept their relationship or explode in anger.

"Makoto?" Sae asked, turning towards her sister "Do you have anything to say?"

Makoto couldn't help but walk closer towards her boyfriend.

"Makoto?" Sae asked again.

"I love him." Makoto declared "We may have only known each other for less than a year but there's no one else I want to be with."

Sae was taken aback by her younger sister. Even Ren and Sojiro were surprised as was Futaba, despite knowing that her two adopted siblings were already dating. They hadn't expected her to directly tell her sister this, someone quite a few of them felt a little bit afraid of.

"Makoto? Are you sure? You're still very young, you know." Sae chided "You might not really be in love."

"No, Sis!" Makoto interrupted "That's the only thing I really know these days. That I love him so much."

She took a step away from Ren and walked towards Sae.

"So please, Sis." Makoto begged "Please don't take him away from him."

Sae's mouth dropped open.

"M-Makoto?" she stuttered.

"Please Sis," Makoto pleaded, grabbing her sister's hands "I feel like every time I get him back, something comes to take him away. I can't do that. I can't lose him for real."

"Makoto," Ren interjected "I need to do this."

Makoto turned around and Ren could see the tears that had been building in her eyes.

 _'Fuck.'_ He swore in his mind.

Making her cry was the last thing he ever wanted to do. But this was a necessary sacrifice. All he wanted to do was keep her and all their friends safe.

"Ren, please don't do this." Makoto begged, moving back towards to her boyfriend then turning towards Sae "Sis, isn't there another way?"

Sae looked down in sadness and shook her head. Makoto understood this was the only way and yet she didn't want to accept it. She looked around at Futaba and Sojiro but they too couldn't say anything. She felt Ren place his hands on her shoulders.

"Makoto," he said her name softly and sweetly just the way she liked it "Makoto, I have to do this."

She wanted to cry out and grab on to him. She wanted to hold onto him for dear life until they had to pry her body off of him. She couldn't be without him.

"Please, Ren!" she burst out, wrapping her arms around his body "Please don't leave me."

Ren had to steady himself not to be knocked over by his girlfriend. He looked up and saw Sae looking on at the scene in shock. She had never seen her sister like this before.

"M-Makoto?" Sae asked.

Makoto turned to face Sae and the elder Niijima could see the tears that had begun streaming down her face.

"Please, Sis." Makoto pleaded "I don't want to lose him. I don't want to lose him like I lost Mum and Dad."

Sae wanted to say something. Anything she could to stop her sister's tears. But nothing came out of her mouth. Her eyes met Ren's and there was an understanding between them. That was when Sae knew how deep Ren and Makoto's bond went. She saw in his eyes how far the Amamiya boy would go for her sister and their friends. The way his eyes looked at her gave her the reassurance that he would deal with Makoto. She couldn't help but smile a little despite the fact that she was worried about her sister. She just knew.

Ren Amamiya loved her sister more than anything in the world.

"Makoto," he spoke "Makoto look at me."

She blinked the tears out of her eyes and looked up at her boyfriend. He smiled at her, softly and gently. She always loved his smile.

"Makoto, I need to do this. Please understand that."

She nodded once.

"You need to be strong for everyone. You need to lead our friends without me."

She nodded again.

"Ryuji will need someone to tell him why things needed to be done. Ann will need someone to keep her confidence up. Yusuke, well Yusuke needs someone to make sure he eats. Futaba needs to have someone to lean on. Haru needs someone to help her carry on."

She nodded again as he continued to speak.

"Can you do that for me, Makoto?" he asked.

He hoped it wasn't too much to ask. He hoped he wasn't putting too much on her to deal with, without him being there to help her. She nodded gingerly and spoke.

"Yes, I think I can."

She quickly pulled him into an embrace. One final time. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. She looked up and kissed him on the lips, not caring that Sae was there to see it. After a few minutes they finally broke the hug.

"Wait for me, okay?" Ren said as he began to walk away towards Sae.

Makoto held her tears back.

"I'll wait forever if I need to." She sniffed.

As she watched them begin to leave she locked eyes with her sister. Sae looked incredibly apologetic but they needed to do this to make sure Shido was put away for good. Makoto simply nodded in understanding. That's all she could really do right now.

"I'm sorry." Sae mouthed.

Makoto turned her eyes to Ren once more. He weakly smiled at her before he disappeared out the door with her sister. She closed her eyes and held her hands together. She really hoped that wouldn't be the last time she would ever see him. She hoped whatever gods were out there granted her that one wish. Just one simple wish.

She wasn't being selfish, was she?

* * *

Makoto was pretty sure her eyes were bloodshot red, she had been crying that much today. For most of the day, herself and Futaba had held each other the whole time crying over the loss of Ren. She chided herself for being so weak. Ren wouldn't have liked to see her like that. She couldn't even explain to their friends what had happened and had to leave it to Sojiro. She hated it. What a weak woman she had become without him. He who had given her the strength to fight on and change. The one she loved so much. Eventually all their friends riled each other up and agreed to find a way to prove Ren's innocence. Makoto watched as they all talked about how to save him. After he saved them all it was their turn. It was their turn to save their leader.

She sat quietly in the living room of the Niijima apartment. It was already quite late but she just wasn't in the mood to sleep just yet. She heard the rustling of keys and the door swung open revealing a rather stressed looking Sae.

"Sis!" Makoto yelped as she got up from the couch "How is he? Is everything okay?"

Sae was taken aback at the eagerness of her sister.

"Makoto, calm down." She said sighing.

"How can I?!" Makoto almost screamed "You… you took him from me."

She felt like she was going to cry again.

"Makoto, I'm sorry." Sae said "I'm sorry but this was the only way."

"I-I know that." Makoto mumbled "But I still can't help it. I just love him so much."

Tears once again began to stream down her face. She soon felt a pair of arms wrap around her as Sae took her into her sisterly embrace.

"I know, Makoto." Sae said softly "I know."

"Please…" Makoto begged "Please help me get him back."

Sae rubbed the back of Makoto's back as the younger sister continued to cry.

"We'll get him back." Sae said "What kind of a sister would I be if I let my future brother in law rot in a jail cell?"

Makoto couldn't help but chuckle a little though it was hidden beneath the sounds of her sobbing. It had only been several hours but she already missed Ren so much.

 _'Come back to me soon, my love.'_ She thought.

* * *

The slight warmth of the autumn air weaving through the subway hit Makoto as she exited her train and began ascending the stairs up Shibuya Station. After Ren's release they spent his first day of freedom with their friends. The next evening however was just for them. It was Valentine's Day so of course they needed to be together. She had missed his touch, the sight of his smile and the gentle smell of his citrus shampoo. She didn't mean to bring the mood down yesterday but after having been apart from each other for close to two months but she needed to know if there was a chance she might almost lose him again. So she asked what would become of them when he had to go back home. His answer was immediate and there was zero hesitation. Despite the fact he had yet to discuss it with his parents or the school, he had reassured her that he was going to come back to Tokyo. He was coming back to finish school and to live here in peace and quiet for once.

And most importantly, he was coming back so he could be with her.

She almost cried tears of joy at his answer and wanted nothing more than to kiss him senseless. She had been waiting for him for so long. She asked him if she was asking too much. He said she could ask him anything she wanted in the world and he would give it to her. And that was when they finally gave into each other. In both body and soul. To become one through the act of making love. They were ready then. As she ascended the stairs she began to reminisce about the night before and it caused a light blush to appear on her cheeks. She pushed the lustful thoughts out and focused on tonight.

It was a little weird that Ren had asked her out the day after Valentine 's Day. They had just spent a romantic evening together after all but she couldn't deny that she just wanted to be with him some more. Ren had told her to dress up fairly nicely. So she did, wearing a beige wool turtle neck underneath a grey coat that covered the black leggings she was wearing underneath up to her mid thighs. She hoped it was formal enough for whatever he had planned. Whatever he had planned didn't have to wait too long as she saw him walking towards him. He had his usual black winter coat on but instead of a plain white shirt underneath, he had a white button up. She had to admit, he looked quite attractive tonight.

"Hey you." She said lightly blushing.

"Hey." He said before bending down to kiss her softly on the lips.

Makoto soon latched herself onto his arm as they walked through the streets of Shibuya. The same ones they had walked through on that fateful Christmas Eve.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

He glanced down at her and threw his trademark smirk.

"You'll see." He simply said.

After 10 minutes of walking they neared their destination and Makoto could smell it. The faint scent of tomato and oregano drifting through the air. She recognized the sign and her mouth opened wide. It was the Italian restaurant they had come across on that night. She remembered that conversation. He had promised to take her here one day. In fact if she could recall his exact words were "I promise to take you anywhere you want to go." She looked up at her boyfriend who had a giant smile on his face.

"I promised you, didn't I?" he said with a smirk.

She blushed and kissed him sweetly on the cheek.

"You didn't have to do it so soon."

"No, I probably didn't." Ren replied "But for the loving woman who waited for me for so long, I would give you anything I could."

* * *

This was a little something I had started months ago but towards the side to focus on other things. Angsty pieces have never really been my forte so I'm quite proud of how this turned out. Greed was a prompt where I didn't want it to be a typical "I want money or material things" and tried to think outside the box. What I ended up with was both Ren and Makoto both not wanting to let the other go, even though they know that something like this is necessary, all they want to do is to be with each other. I hope that it translated well into the story and that you all enjoyed reading this.

Thanks to Melkechi for proof reading and bouncing ideas off for motivate me to finish it.

As always, if you like what I do, shoot me a follow on Twitter: MadmanJrs.  
I post a lot of random thoughts, especially ShuMako.


	6. Feeling of the Kiss Beneath the Sunset

**Full Title: The Feeling of the Kiss Beneath the Sunset Bridge**

* * *

Sunset.

The faint orange glow of the setting sun cast a golden hue over them as they sat on a bench beneath the bridge at Odaiba Kaihinkoen. The street lights lining the harbour promenade began to flicker to life. A few flashes went off in the distance as several couples took photos to commemorate what a great Valentine's Day today had been. And yet the brightest sight Ren could see was his girlfriend Makoto smiling beside him.

Her smile did wonders to lift his mood. Whenever he felt down or when things just weren't working right, it kept him going. Whenever he was having a wonderful day, it made things even better. He couldn't help but return a smile of his own. She rested her hand on top of his for a moment and he let the touch linger before he turned his hand over and intertwined their fingers together.

It was reminiscent of the padlock they had bought from the Valentine's Event that day. While Ren could be romantic at times (or in Makoto's opinion, like 80% of the time around her), he wasn't too into the whole idea of it. But Makoto seemed to adore the idea and how could he say no to her when she was up on the balls of her feet, bouncing in excitement. The tagline of the event seemed to resonate with her and when those two words came out of her mouth, he was inclined to agree.

Eternally inseparable.

To be eternally inseparable from Makoto Niijima seemed like a wonderful experience that he needed in his life. He had watched intently as she wrote down their names on the metal body before handing it to him to see if everything was okay. He smiled that it was and together they locked it on the wire fencing. He could have sworn that their hands formed a heart momentarily during the whole thing. Before he knew it, it was already evening and here they were on a wooden bench made of oak.

Makoto had just told him all the things she was feeling. Excitement. Anxiety. Hope. Love. He told her that he would stay with her no matter way. They had become eternally inseparable after all. The genuine adoration he could see in her eyes struck on the strings of his heart, as if it played a song dedicated to her. There was a thin film of moisture coating her eyes that were almost like shimmering rubies. They glistened in the light of the setting sun as she fought to blink the tears away that had been threatening to spill.

She lifted his hand up and held them with both hands. The touch of her skin was cold at first, from the hand that hadn't been holding his having to brave the nippy air of the waning winter days. Yet for as cold as everything around them had become, he could feel nothing but the warmth of Makoto's love enveloping him. Like it were a set of blankets or a futon, ready for him to fall into. And while her love for him was his greatest comfort, it was also the little things it could do that he loved and appreciated. It was like the five minutes of extra sleep he could get in the morning or the bittersweet aroma of a freshly brewed cup of coffee. She was both the cool breeze on a hot summer night and the soothing steam of a hot bath in winter. She was his everything.

Despite using a hand cream that her friends considered old fashioned, Makoto had incredibly soft hands. Her fingers were thin and delicate yet fit snuggly in his hand. The coldness from her hand had soon disappeared and all he felt was her warmth.

He heard her speak and listened intently to every word. While it might've sounded cheesy, her voice was akin to the melodic sounds of a harp being played by an angel. Every word and sound she made radiated elegance and despite the fact that he made it his life's mission to get her flustered, her voice still carried tones of grace and sophistication.

"There was a lot I wanted to say," she began to say "but none of that matters now that we're here together."

She gripped his hands tighter.

"After all that waiting, living in different places doesn't seem like a big deal, right?"

She spoke of him going home and he could sense himself disagreeing in his mind. No, home was with her. Home _was_ her. Home was the feeling of her hand holding his. Home was the sound of her laughter. Home was in the sea of crimson that she held beneath her eyes. Home was like a wave of emotion after emotion that only she could make him feel. Home was the hopeful smile that she was giving him right now. Home was eternally inseparable from Makoto Niijima.

"And… I've been waiting for you for so long."

Home was her waiting for him. Home was the love of the woman that was never out of his thoughts for a moment.

"I'm not asking too much, am I?" She finished.

He smiled for a moment and shook his head. No, she wasn't. He would give everything for her. She took that as a sign that everything was okay between the two and soon he found her leaning in. He could almost feel the heat radiating off her rose dusted cheeks. Her eyes fluttered for a moment before closing shut. His gaze couldn't help but linger on her flickering lashes before he too closed his eyes.

The scent of her floral perfume began to seep into his nose, permeating all through his sense of smell. It was neither strong nor overpowering yet the aroma of Makoto Niijima had the ability to overwhelm him. He swallowed the saliva that had been building in his mouth and took a breath, inhaling the fragrance once more before leaning in.

That was when he felt it.

The soft touch of her lips that he had been dying to taste since he was released. He had kissed her before yes but something about now was different. Like what thoughts he had of home earlier, he knew what he was feeling. He craved everything about Makoto and understood he couldn't do without her. Her lips tasted of sweet strawberries, holding none of the tart sourness that sometimes came with the fruit. The soft feeling of her lips was like the perfect pillow and reconnecting with them was akin to turning the pillow over half way through the night to feel the cooler surface on the other side. It was the kind of comfort that he had been longing for.

Makoto leaned in closer and Ren could feel her melting into the kiss. It was as if she wanted to bury herself into his lips. There was a hint of hunger in the way she was kissing him that sent him messages of her own desire. She loved him as much as he loved her.

He removed his hand from her grasps and placed it on the curve of her hip. He felt her jolt a tiny bit at the sudden touch of his fingers, with a slight gasp escaping her lips that had yet to leave his. A small chuckle came from his and he felt her push away from his embrace. He opened his eyes and was met with the most adorable pout he had ever seen from her.

She was just about to reprimand him for ruining the moment when he cut her off with another kiss. As he closed his eyes, the sight of her surprised face burned in his mind and he subconsciously let out a smile. His spontaneity was something that she both loved and disliked but he couldn't help himself. He had almost 2 months of kisses to make up for. Reluctantly, he dislodged himself from her lips and looked at her.

The glow of the setting sun was still upon them, as were the now bright street lights. Odaiba Kaihinkoen was supposed to beautiful at night when everything was alight but he only had eyes on her. She was the most beautiful in his eyes and she was his.

"I love you." He said, slowly and sweetly. "I love everything about you."

He could see her face softening at his words as she raised a hand to caress his face. Gods he loved the feeling of her touch.

"I love you too." She said.

Ren smiled at her and leant in for one more kiss. The sun still had some time before it truly set.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

This wasn't really a planned one unlike most of my ShuMako ones (especially the Cardinal series) but after watching the Valentine's OVA, I was inspired and just had to write something after that. It was such a sweet short that I needed to put some of what I was feeling into words.

While this is shorter than my usual work, I put a few challenges on myself. The first was to be as descriptive as I could without it being overboard (at least, I hope it doesn't come off that way). Sometimes I feel like I can be a little too literal/straight to the point with my writing and I wanted to display more of what I want to portray.

The other was to do it entirely from Ren's perspective. I find that with most of my ShuMako work, I tend to do it from Makoto's POV which is weird considering I identify with Ren's characteristics quite a lot.

The name Sunset Bridge comes from the OST playing in the background when they're sitting on the bench and Makoto is talking about her feelings before it trails off and she leans in for that big kiss.

Regardless, I hope that both the OVA and this short fulfilled your ShuMako romance needs. Let me know what you guys think and as always, leave a review/comment with your thoughts or just to tell me you liked it.

Til next time.


	7. Cardinal: Gluttony - Cravings

**Full Title: Strawberries and Cravings**

It started with strawberries. A few weeks after Makoto had told Ren she was pregnant he had found her up late one night munching in the living room on a punnet of fresh strawberries. He had heard about this from his mother after they broke the news to their family. Women often got food cravings throughout their pregnancy. And so that's why he had bought different fruits the other day. He knew Makoto wasn't really a sweets type of girl. While she did enjoy it, she mostly partook in sugary consumption when she was with Ann, Haru or Eiko. Being the healthy woman she was, she much preferred fresh fruit.

Ren watched from the hallway as Makoto sat on the couch, taking a bite of a large strawberry as she watched some late night TV. Then she did something he didn't expect. There was a small plate on the coffee table that she reached for. In it were small white crystals. He moved a little closer to get a better look as she dipped one of her strawberries in it.

 _'Sugar?'_ he thought.

No, that wasn't right. They used brown sugar in their apartment. His mind clicked when he realized what it was as she threw it in her mouth. She had dipped her strawberry in a pile of salt. For a moment, Ren felt a little weirded out but then remembered sweet and salty actually complimented each other well, as long as it was in moderation. After all, there were things like salted caramel and his grandma used to eat apples with a sprinkling of salt. He supposed it wasn't that odd.

"Oh hi Ren." Makoto greeted as she noticed him in the archway.

He walked over and sat beside her on the couch. That's when he noticed all the punnets of strawberries were laid out on the coffee table. All 6 he had bought.

"Want one?" she asked as she held up another salt covered strawberry.

He smiled and shook his head.

"I'll pass for now."

He slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she continued to munch on her strawberries. Little did he know it'd get worse from there.

* * *

It was the second month of their pregnancy and Ren was riding the train home from his office at the Tokyo Council of Social Welfare. They only had the one car and Makoto took that to work, though not after much effort and convincing from Ren. He was glad that as a pregnant woman, she wouldn't have to be subjected to the tightly packed sardine cans that masqueraded as the trains of Tokyo. He was just about to make his usual transfer when his phone beeped. He checked it and found a message from Makoto.

 _Makoto: Ren, honey. Could you buy a large double patty Orbit Burger meal and some Saturn Potatoes on your way home? Thanks, love ya!_

Ren raised an eyebrow at the message. Makoto was never one to willingly choose fast food. The past few times she had eaten it was either when she had no other options or was too hungry, and it was the closest thing she could go to. He was pretty sure he could count all those times on one hand. Occasionally he'd get the urge to go there but never with Makoto. She must've been having some odd cravings to actually want it. With a light chuckle he shoved his phone back into his pocket.

"Guess we're having burgers for dinner."

He was nearly bowled over by his wife when he walked through the front door.

"There you are!" Makoto yelled "I've been so hungry."

Without even giving him her customary greeting kiss, she snatched the plastic bags from his grasp and began to forage through them. He had never seen her move so fast in his life, not even in the Metaverse. As she was laying out all food on the counter (and sneaking a small amount of fries in her mouth as she went along), Ren sauntered over to get his meal.

"Spicy Chicken Mars Burger?" she asked curiously.

He nodded.

"Yeah, it's a new limited edition menu item so I thought I'd try it."

She eyed it eagerly.

"Ooh give me a bite of that too!"

He had barely just unwrapped it when his wife teleported beside him and took a massive chomp out of his burger. She let out a small moan of approval.

"Oowah it's delicious! Not all that spicy but the slight tingling heat is complimented well by the patty's crunchy coating!"

Ren couldn't help but laugh as he watched his beloved go back to her own meal, devouring it like she hadn't eaten in days. He could hear her muttering a positive review.

"This double beef patty is a lot juicier than the ones I've had before and the salad accompanying it adds a satisfying crisp texture that's enhanced by their Big Bang secret sauce."

It was then that he couldn't hold it in and roared in amusement. Since when did his wife, Makoto the Health Nut become such a connoisseur of fast food. He had to admit though, it was cute as heck

* * *

Towards the beginning of the second trimester, Ren had been dragged by Makoto to the local supermarket. He glanced at her slightly from the driver's seat. Her baby bump wasn't very visible yet but with how used to her body he was and Makoto's naturally thin build, he could notice it quite easily. The thought put a smile on his face. Just about 6 months left til they welcomed their bundle of joy into the world.

Makoto had been reading down a list of food items she wanted with things ranging from minced beef to daikon radish and even a tub of kimchi. Ren smirked knowing what would happen however. As soon as she'd see something she wanted, she'd probably just toss it into the trolley without a care. Her food cravings had been progressively getting worse. Just the other day he had found her cooking scrambled eggs with a side of strawberry jam. He chuckled at the memory and continued to drive before halting at an intersection that was red.

"Ren?" he heard the voice of his wife call.

"Yes, love?"

"I think I should go on a diet."

He glanced at her as they stopped at an intersection that was red. He already knew how strict she used to be with her intake. Before they had gotten together, she was always super healthy and while she did occasionally partake in less 'healthy' meals, she generally avoided things like instant or fast food. That is until this pregnancy.

"Diet, huh? What brought that on?" he asked.

Her eyes scanned over the list she had written in her hand.

"I'm not sure I should get all of these."

Ren quickly glanced over, noticing the various ingredients she had written down. There was absolutely no balance between them and he kind of agreed but didn't really want to tell her that.

"I think its fine." He shrugged.

Makoto frowned a little at her husband's nonchalant suggestion before her eyes moved to study the list once more. No, she was going to go on a diet and wouldn't be sucked into her building cravings!

"Nope! I'm totally doing it!" She proudly announced much to Ren's amusement.

As soon as they got to the supermarket, whatever she had resolved to do earlier went completely out the window as Ren watched Makoto casually drop various items into the trolley he was pushing. The reflexes he had so keenly honed during his tenure as a Phantom Thief helped as Makoto blitzed through each aisle, his eyes just able to keep up with his excited wife. He could barely read the name of whatever item she had just placed into the trolley before it was covered up by the addition of something else. Before he knew it, they had filled up the trolley. He silently thanked whatever gods were out there that both he and Makoto earned quite a bit between them. They could afford to splurge every now and then. Then he realized how many packets of snacks she had placed in the trolley and thought.

 _'Or at least, until Makoto's pregnancy ended.'_

His eyes watched as Makoto placed at least 5 punnets of strawberries into the cart to top it all off.

"Can't forget about these." She smiled.

* * *

Going on afternoon walks on their free days were becoming a rarer occurrence as Makoto's baby bump was starting to really show. Regardless, Makoto dragged her husband out the door whenever she found him lounging about. Being pregnant meant she couldn't do the same work outs she used to do, nor could she go through her Aikido routines. So walks it had to be.

While their current home was basically in the heart of Tokyo, it was tucked away from the main streets and the community around it was more reminiscent of the neighbourhood surrounding LeBlanc. That was one of the reasons why they chose to live there as it reminded them of their beginnings. Ren took Makoto's hand into his own, intertwining their fingers as they exited the lobby of their apartment complex.

"We're lucky that it's started to warm up a lot." Makoto said, commenting on the weather.

It was still technically winter but living in Japan meant that it could warm up rather quickly and the sky was cloudless, giving the sun uninhibited access. There were a few kids running in and about the winding streets and cats slept on the tops of brick fences, basking in the gentle warmth. As they turned the corner, they had run into Mrs Watanabe, an elderly woman that the couple had befriended when they moved in.

"Oh hello my dears!" She cooed at the couple "My goodness, Makoto-chan. You're really starting to show!"

Makoto smiled and instinctively caressed her belly.

"Yes, we're about 5 and a half months along."

The old lady smiled and walked closer.

"Do you know the gender yet?" She asked.

"We'll be having a baby girl." Makoto answered with a broad smile.

"Aw a baby girl!" Mrs Watanabe beamed "How precious!"

Ren smiled too. For someone in their seventies older woman's energy sure was infectious.

"I still remember when I had my first child." She said before turning to Ren "You best give your wife all the attention and care she needs, you hear me Sonny?"

Ren laughed and nodded.

"Yes ma'am!" He smiled in salute.

They said their goodbyes and continued on their walk. About five minutes later the alluring aroma of baked goods began to entrance their senses. Ah yes, they were nearing their favourite bakery. More often than not, one of them would grab a pastry or two on their way home from work or in the mornings when they had slept in and lacked the time for a proper breakfast (which was extremely rare when your wife is a very schedule oriented person).

Ren half sensed something was going to happen as they were about to walk past it. His assumptions were correct when Makoto suddenly stopped and looked at the bakery with focused eyes. She even placed her hands on her pregnant belly.

"Ren?" She spoke.

"Yes?"

"The baby would like some strawberry tarts." Makoto announced.

"The baby or you?" Ren teased.

"Well, both." Makoto sheepishly grinned.

He chuckled lightly and took her hand to lead her into the bakery. It seemed the baby really liked strawberries.

"Oh they have cinnamon scrolls today! Can we get some too?" Makoto beamed, almost bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Does the baby want those too?" Ren asked.

"Nope! Those are for me."

* * *

He missed how normal baked goods were when it came to Makoto's cravings. Heck he missed how normal strawberries were, even if they were consumed by the punnet. But cravings had been replaced by something new and while he had some experience with the mind from the Metaverse, it was still pretty weird to see.

Makoto's pregnancy had started to give her mild hallucinations.

He had never heard of it before but when speaking to his mother over the phone, he had found that it did happen albeit not a common thing. His mother had recalled a friend of hers in the past having visions of a strange painting. With all that He supposed it wasn't the weirdest thing.

What was weird was when he arrived home after work to find Makoto sitting by the window in their living room with a rather focused expression on her face. She hadn't even greeted him as normal when he walked through the front door.

"Uh honey? Everything okay?" He asked.

She turned to face him then turned back to the window.

"I thought I saw the Mementos for a second." She answered.

He opened his mouth in surprise and walked closer towards her.

"Mementos? Where?"

She pointed down to one of the alleyways between the adjacent apartment buildings.

"Right over there." She answered "It was like how I remember and yet there was something different about it."

"I um, I see." He said "What was different?"

She thought for a moment to recollect what she had seen.

"Well it was red and shadowy like before and it looked like one of those entrances we used to go through before we reached a target. I thought I saw what looked like the shadows that rode the trains that were in the backgrounds except…" She explained before trailing off.

"Except what?"

"For some reason they were strawberries."

"Strawberries?" Ren asked in an astonished voice.

Were the food cravings happening again?

"Yes strawberries."

It was then that Makoto had reached down to a nearby end table and picked up a strawberry from a punnet that looked to have been her latest victim.

"Okay uh, do we need to do anything about this… Strawberry Mementos?"

Makoto shook her head.

"No but I think I'll keep watching for now in case I see it again."

It was then that Ren dialled his mother's number and asked if something was wrong with Makoto.

* * *

He thought there was comfort he could find in a small red fruit. It had been Makoto's source of relief throughout her pregnancy and he thought it could help him now. He thought munching on the last few strawberries they had would calm his nerves as he drove her to the hospital but it didn't help. Joker, the dauntless leader of the Phantom Thieves was extremely nervous.

It had been hours since Makoto entered the maternity ward and he stood there, watching his beloved wife groan in pain and hurling occasional obscenities at him. Well, Makoto really never swore or cussed but she did so in her own way.

"How could you do this to me?!"

"I thought this was supposed to be a beautiful experience!"

"No amount of strawberries in the world are going to save you when I get my hands on you!"

"I swear, if I see one smirk from your smug ass!"

"Ahh I want to forget this feeling!"

He tried to hide his smile, especially knowing where he had last heard that line. Luckily for him, his wife was too preoccupied giving birth to care. The pain he could see in her face hurt through and he hoped it would be over soon. Not just because he wanted the whole ordeal to be over but he was both nervous and excited to meet his baby girl.

It came almost an hour later but the sound he heard was one of the most memorable noises he had ever heard. The first cries of his daughter.

"Congratulations!" One of the midwives said "She's a beautiful and healthy baby girl."

What happened before him was almost a blur as he watched them remove the umbilical cord and wrap her up in a warm blanket. A blanket that he noticed had pastel strawberries printed on it. He noticed his wife in the corner of the eye, revelling in the relief that it was over. She closed her eyes and he silently agreed that she deserved to rest. Even in her dishevelled state, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Well, now she had some competition.

"Would you like to hold her?" the nearest nurse said to him, knocking him out of his thoughts.

He swallowed, took a breath and nodded. The nurse grinned widely at him and placed the now sleeping baby in his arms. He fought back tears at the beautiful daughter he had been blessed with and walked to the nearby seat they placed by Makoto.

"Hey." He gently whispered.

Makoto gingerly opened her eyes and saw the most amazing sight she had ever seen. More beautiful than the fireworks they first saw back when they met. More beautiful than the sunset overlooking their victory against Yaldabaoth. More beautiful than the sight of their wedding day and more beautiful than all the strawberries in the world. It was her loving husband holding their sleeping daughter.

"Hey." She greeted back.

"You did it." Ren softly smiled. "She's so beautiful."

She reached up and placed her hand softly on the edge of the strawberry lined blanket.

"We did it." She corrected before laying her eyes on their daughter "Welcome to the family, Kazue."

It was the name they had chosen to represent how beautiful and peaceful their life had become. It was harmony. Well, at least they had some peace for now before Sae, Ryuji, Futaba and all their family and friends would come in to visit but for now, they would be content to simple hold each other in love.

* * *

"Yay Papa!"

Kazue beamed at her father, proudly displaying the near set of teeth she was so close to completing. They were in the living room and Ren had been playing with some building blocks that Kazue would promptly knock down before shouting "again". For a 2 year old, her vocabulary sure was varied. It was only a matter of time before she would be saying more coherent sentences. A slight squeaking brought his attention to their bedroom door and he found Makoto standing against the doorframe, watching the sight with loving eyes.

"Mama!" Kazue grinned as she toddled over to her Mother.

Makoto bent down to pick up her daughter and kissed her sweetly on the cheek. The little girl giggled and wrapped her stubby arms around her Mother's neck. Makoto smiled before her expression turned to a more serious one.

"Is everything okay, Makoto?" Ren asked.

She half nodded and moved to sit down on the nearby couch, bouncing Kazue on her lap who giggled in delight. Ren walked over and sat down beside her.

"What's up?" he asked again.

"Um well, how would you feel if…" She took a little breath "If Kazue got a younger brother or sister?"

His eyes widened causing Kazue to look up at him curiously.

"Wait, you're pregnant?" He asked in surprise.

She smiled and nodded. They had talked about another child before. They didn't Kazue to grow up without siblings. Makoto looked tentatively at her husband.

"Do you think it's too soon?" She asked.

Kazue had just turned 2 a few months ago and while she had always been such an angel, she didn't know if they were ready for another child.

"I think… we'll be okay." Ren answered.

Makoto smiled and poked her daughter lightly in the stomach.

"How do you feel about that, Zuzu-chan?" She asked "Do you want to be an Onee-chan?"

Kazue grinned despite not really knowing what was happening.

"Yay! Onee-tan!" She squealed.

Both husband and wife laughed at their daughter's cuteness before Ren stopped and looked like he was deep in thought.

"What is it, Ren?" Makoto asked.

"We need to stock up on strawberries." He answered much to Makoto's delight.

"Of course." She smiled "Let's keep things healthy too and maybe get some carrots."

"Carrots?" Ren asked curiously.

"Yes, I was thinking maybe we should have a boy this time."

"Makoto," Ren began "that's only in the Sims."

Makoto laughed sheepishly, accidentally mixing up a hobby she had recently picked up with real life. She cleared her throat, ignoring her husband's widening smirk and turned her attention to her daughter.

"Let's ignore Daddy and get some strawberries Zuzu-chan."

"Yay! Stawbewwies!" Kazue grinned in delight, much to the amusement of her parents.

Ren shook his head and laughed at the sight of his family. Soon they'd have another addition to the Amamiya household.

And what do you know, they did end up having a boy less than nine months later.

* * *

Author's Notes:

So I asked myself what I wanted for my birthday and the answer was a ShuMako pregnancy fic. So I wrote this for my birthday. I apologize for nothing.

Kazue and the son they have are referenced in my other fic "Meeting the Parents". I'll definitely do more stories with them in it!

Thanks to LaPetitChouNerd and Volti for helping me with getting some pregnancy things right. I'm a guy so I was worried I might write something wrong. Also thanks to Melkechi for always yelling at me to write and finish it hehe.

As always, leave a comment or review on what you liked, your thoughts or simply to tell me if you enjoyed it if not.

Til then, take it easy!


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